


Trying To Tie Loose Ends (Catharsis Continuation)

by BunnyBob



Series: Trying to Tie Loose Ends (Catharsis Continuation) [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Coma Baby, It's happening, M/M, Multi, OT3, Polyamory, banishedone, fic for a fic, i officially finished everything, sarcastic buddies, theres 12 chapters and 4 or 5 bonus fics, working towards poly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-03-30 15:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 63,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13954767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyBob/pseuds/BunnyBob
Summary: Link can’t ignore his destined fight against the Calamity forever. But before he leaves the Zora Domain, the Knight Captain has a gift for him that may help in more ways than one.(A fic for the sidlink fic Coma Baby, a continuation of the other one i made and the first of many to come!)





	1. A Gift From The Future

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BanishedOne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BanishedOne/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Coma Baby](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10493943) by [BanishedOne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BanishedOne/pseuds/BanishedOne). 



> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne, and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It's a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don't need to read the whole series to get what's going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> My tumblr is bunnyb0b! I post memes and fics for Coma Baby there, you can chat with me any time about anything!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren't trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

Link strode around the streets of the Zora Domain, greeting its citizens as he made his way to the palace. He _definitely_ wasn’t putting off his fight against Calamity Ganon, despite already defeating all of the Divine Beasts and completing every shrine. No, he was here to heal, stock up on weapons, and train to make sure that he was in peak physical condition. At least that’s what he told everyone else, who easily believed him since he had done the exact same thing so many times in-between every trip to different parts of Hyrule.

One thing that he couldn’t lie about, however, was how much he wanted to see his Zora lover before he left. Guilt gnawed at his gut at the thought of not being able to tell Sidon how much he loved him if he happened to not make it back. His beloved prince did not deserve such heartache. And, since the prince’s Knight Captain was always with him, Link figured that he may as well say goodbye to Brivere while he was there too.

As much as he hated showing weakness to others, he had to make an exception for the only people he really cared about in this unforgiving world. After all, depending on how his battle with Calamity Ganon went, it could very well be his last time with them.

And he intended to drink up every last moment he could have with them, getting drunk off of their genuine kindness and concern.

He finally found Sidon at Mipha’s statue, kneeling as if he was praying. As expected, his Knight Captain was obediently watching over him. Both of them looked up when they heard Link’s boots squeaking against the damp stone floor.

“Link!” Sidon shouted, shooting up onto his feet and holding his muscled arms out. “I am so glad to see you!” Behind him, Brivere nodded. If it weren’t for that brief gesture it would have been impossible to tell that the emotionless Zora agreed with his prince.

Laughing, Link ran faster and shot into Sidon’s embrace. His lover spun in circles, swinging around the Hylian’s small body with ease. Link tried to squirm out of his grasp when he began to feel sick and, by Hylia’s grace, Sidon caught on and gently put him down. The prince knelt before Link, both out of respect and to come somewhat close to eye level.

“I am so happy that I have the chance to see you once more before you depart.” Sidon breathed, his famous grin stretched across his face.

Link smiled back. He could easily see that the sharp-toothed, shining grin was genuine and not the fake one that the prince often plastered on when he greeted his people. “Of course. I wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye to my lover first.”

Both of them chuckled, and Sidon leaned forward to rest his crest against Link’s forehead. He lightly nuzzled the Hylian’s blonde hair. “I know. But I also wished to give you some words of encouragement before you depart.” Sidon purred. Link closed his eyes, ready to bask in every part of the prince’s soft, velvety voice.

“I have watched you develop from a fairly adept Hylian to a fearsome warrior. You have shown kindness in the face of adversity, and my people are forever in your debt, as is the rest of Hyrule. I have always admired your strength, and I know that it will be your heroism that will save us all. There is no doubt in my mind that you will return to us, and when you do you are certainly welcome to remain in the Zora Domain for as long as you like.” Link opened his eyes and gently nodded at that last statement. He would definitely be taking up that offer.

For whatever reason, Link had always favored Zoras over any other race in Hyrule. Apparently he had spent a lot of time in the Zora Domain during his childhood, but he had to rely on the other Zoras’ word since he couldn’t remember even a moment of it. His old friends were just adults now, like Bazz who had become the Guard Captain or Kodah who now owned her own inn. Link found himself liking other Zora as well, even if he hadn’t actually met them before he was put in the Shrine of Resurrection.

And then there was _that_ asshole.

Brivere stared at the affectionate display in front of him with an unamused look on his face. Link couldn’t tell if he was doing it as a joke or not, since the Knight Captain was known for his infamous resting bitch face that showed itself in every situation.

He turned to the golden Zora, a smirk dancing across his lips. “And do _you_ have anything to say to me before I go?”

Brivere tittered. “Do not die because then the rest of us are doomed?”

Link punched him in the arm, making both of them laugh. Their relationship may have been rocky, like _Goron_ levels of rocky, at first, but neither could deny that the initial animosity between them had since developed into a more comfortable friendship. Brivere straightened up and quickly fell back to his usual blank face. “In all seriousness, Hylian Champion, I actually have something much better than words of encouragement.”

He and Sidon looked at the golden knight in surprise. “Are you perhaps trying to one-up me, Brivere?” the prince chuckled.

“Of course not, my lord.” Brivere shook his head, then turned to focus on Link. “I apologize for delaying your departure even further, but I must ask you to meet me in the barracks three hours from now. My present has some things that must be added before I am confident enough to give it to you.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Link said, trying not to show how relieved he was to have bought himself more time before he marched off to his doom. “I’ll definitely meet you there later.”

Brivere nodded gratefully, then bowed to his prince before hurrying off. He and Sidon watched the knight’s golden form disappear around the corner before turning to each other. “Any idea what his gift is?” Link asked.

Chuckling, his lover shook his head. “I did not even know that he had anything planned. But I _do_ know that my boyfriends are getting along _very_ well.”

Link blushed, the tips of his ears reddening slightly. The relationship between the three of them was peculiar to say the least. Months ago, Link and Brivere would have torn each other apart if they had so happened to be in the same vicinity as each other. Once, Link had even punched the golden Zora so hard that it had sent him flying off of a bridge. And now here they were, close enough to be comfortable sharing the same man as their boyfriend.

But the fact that he and Brivere weren’t dating made him feel strange for reasons he couldn’t quite understand. “We’re just friends, Sidon. It’s already weird enough that we’re _both_ dating you.”

“Well if you happen to become otherwise, know that you have my blessing.” the prince teased. He jumped back to avoid Link’s fist, which swung at him, completely giving away how flustered the Hylian was by his comment. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Sidon surrendered, holding his clawed hands up in mock defeat. “We should not be spending our last hours fighting. Come now, let us take a walk around the Domain to ease your nerves.”

If anyone else had implied that he was anxious for the impending fight, Link would have decked them. Sure, he could have decked Sidon too, but he decided to save his energy for the Calamity instead of taking it out on his boyfriend. Besides, the loving gaze that the prince softly stared at Link with completely melted him.

Nodding, Link slipped his hand into Sidon’s large one. Both of them stared up at Mipha’s statue, silent prayers whispering in their heads, hoping to be heard by the woman they both missed so dearly.

 _Mipha…_ Link thought. _I’m sorry. I know that I am the last person to deserve your grace, but please protect me during my fated battle. I can never make up for all of the horrible things that I put you and your brother through… but I fully intend to try. I will defeat the Calamity in your name, for the justice and revenge that you and the other Champions deserve. I will protect your brother as well, no matter the cost._

_It’s the least I can do… because it’s my fault that you are dead._

Mipha’s statue continued to be as still and as cold as ever. Link hoped that it was just the stone it was made out of and not her furious spirit mercilessly glaring back at him. Sidon’s soft voice snapped him out of his plea for mercy. “Shall we go now, love?”

Link nodded. With their silent prayers of protection and regret finished, they walked away hand in hand. They intended to fully enjoy what could possibly be their last hours together.

;

No one bothered to interrupt the two lovers as they walked around the Domain - their relationship was already well known. Some alone time with his lover was the least the Zora people could give Link after all he had done for them. And especially for what he was about to do for them and all of Hyrule.

The walk was pleasant. Sidon had babbled more words of encouragement at first, but Link politely told him that he would rather focus on something other than the impending battle. So they talked about small things, like stories about how Link took down the other Divine Beasts and describing the interesting people he had met across Hyrule. Of course, Sidon had heard it all before, but he could never tire of the way Link’s blue eyes shone and how his pointed ears perked up when he recounted these tales.

Eventually, the conversation shifted to discussion about the future, as if Link had already defeated the Calamity. It ranged from what he would do if Zelda was alive to which place he would visit first (the Zora Domain, of course). They talked about where Link would live, Sidon arguing that he would personally fight every member on the royal court if it meant that his lover could stay in the palace. Link bragged about how he would fight every council member anyways, making both of them laugh.

They were both so engrossed in their conversation that well over three hours passed by. They didn’t even notice until a soldier came running at them, waving his arms around and shouting their names.

Sidon arched his crest at the guard when he finally reached them, gasping for breath. “Yes, guardsman? Is something wrong?”

“No, your highness.” the soldier panted. “Your Knight Captain simply requested both of your presences at the barracks.”

Link cringed. Shit, he forgot about Brivere’s gift. “We’ll head over there immediately. Thank you for the message.” The guard nodded and bent over in exhaustion, continuing to crouch there even as Link and Sidon rushed past him.

He eyed the tired soldier over his shoulder. “I’m not one to tell you how to run your kingdom, but I really think you should invest in more cardio training in your army.”

The prince laughed. “You are correct, but Zora legs are more for swimming than running. It cannot be helped.”

“Well we’re gonna have to run if we want to make it to Brivere before he gets pissed.”

“Oh, you know he already _is_ pissed.”

“It’s hard to tell, since he _always_ seems pissed.”

Both of them cackled as they picked up their pace, Sidon stumbling on his proportionally small legs and Link running slow enough to still be by his side. He desperately wanted to just run ahead and mock his lover, but he decided to hold his competitive spirit back in favor of being next to Sidon.

They quickly made it to the barracks, scanning the crowd of Zora soldiers packed inside. All of the soldiers tensed up and stood at attention once Prince Sidon had entered, but he casually dismissed them with one hand as he tried to find Brivere.

Luckily for them it wasn’t too hard to locate the Knight Captain. The golden Zora easily stood out amongst the rest of the guards, who tended to be darker shades of black, blue, or purple. However, this wasn’t necessarily a good thing, since it showed how much he stood out from them both physically and socially. Brighter colors, such as Sidon’s vibrant red scales, were more common among the highest of the upper class. Gold was definitely up there as well, but Brivere had only recently earned the right to be considered one of the elite when he was discovered to truly be the son of the late First Knight, Prion.

Brivere was in one of the battle rings, swinging his silver scale longsword around his body and lashing it out at a practice dummy. He was so focused on his training that he didn’t notice the two of them approaching from behind, watching in awe. While Link and Sidon were some of the best fighters in Hyrule, they were still impressed by the golden Zora’s raw fighting talent. He certainly didn’t have the title of Knight Captain for nothing.

Eventually, Link became bored of watching the same strikes again and again. (Brivere was the type of Zora to repeat his attacks until they were absolutely perfect.) Clearing his throat, Link loudly asked “So am I getting this gift or not?”

The Knight Captain froze in place, the sword’s sharp edge inches away from the practice dummy. He turned to Link and rolled his golden eyes. “You would have received it already if you had come earlier. I do believe I said three hours, not four and a half.”

Link grinned back. “Didn’t that future ability of yours tell you that I’d run late?”

Groaning, Brivere rubbed a clawed hand across his head tail. “Actually, yes. I just had more faith in you, I suppose.”

“That’s on you man, not me. Anyways, gift?” At this, Link jokingly held his hands out and made grabbing motions with his fingers.

The golden knight sighed, but a hint of amusement was carried in his breath. He attached the longsword to the weapon strap that slung across his broad chest and over one shoulder before picking up a thick stack of papers that were sitting off to the side of the platform.

“What is _that_?” Link said, warily eyeing the pages tightly bound together by a black string.

“ _This_ ,” Brivere said proudly, holding up the gift in his hand, “is a report that I have written from what I have seen in my visions of your impending fight with Calamity Ganon.”

The soldiers around Link and Sidon fell silent as everyone gawked at the Knight Captain. “Brivere…” Link whispered, stunned. “Do you mean…?”

“I apologize, it is not fully complete because I do not yet have full control over my abilities. But while it may not contain every detail of what is to come, I do believe that it has enough information to give you a general idea of what the Calamity may do.” His voice suddenly went low as his golden eyes softened. “Even without Sidon’s empathy ability, I could tell that you were extremely nervous about this fight. And that is to be completely expected, as no one else has ever had the guts to take on the Calamity except for you, hero.”

Brivere stepped towards Link, closing the distance between the two of them until his right hand gently rested on the Hylian’s muscled shoulder. “Do not feel shame for feeling afraid, for courage is fighting through the fear, towards the prospect of victory. I can only hope that my gift can ease your worries and help you return to us safely.”

Link stood there, dumbfounded, but he didn’t need to speak for Brivere to be able to see the gratitude that shone on his face. He nodded and reached forward to grab the papers, only to be surprised when the golden Zora quickly held them above his head.

“That being said, Hylian Champion,” Brivere tittered, “my gift does not come without a price. If you would still like it, you must defeat me in battle first.”

The soldiers around them whooped and hollered, excited to see a fight between two of the strongest warriors in the Domain. A smirk stretched across Link’s face as he stepped back into a battle stance with a hand on his sword. Brivere quickly strode backwards to the other side of the training ring, not breaking eye contact with him as he reached for the silver scale longsword that hung off of his back.

Sidon groaned and covered his face with his hands. _Why_ did he have a weakness for such reckless men?

“If you just wanted to fight, you could have just asked, you know.” Link chuckled. The two of them slowly began to circle each other, waiting for their opponent to make the first move.

Brivere shook his head but the gleam in his golden eyes gave him away. “Nonsense. I simply believe that if you cannot defeat a lowly Zora knight then you have absolutely no chance against the Calamity, the very culmination of power and malice.”

Link paused, lowering his sword ever so slightly. “But can’t your abilities just tell you if I win this fight or not? It would save us a lot of time and effort, really.”

“What, are you afraid to lose?” Brivere laughed. The crowd of soldiers that now gathered around them, eager to see the Knight Captain and the Hylian Champion fight each other, were stunned to see their usually reserved superior acting  so casual and humorous.

 Shaking his head, Link suddenly stopped pacing and stood in place, making Brivere stop as well. “What is the _real_ point of this fight?” he said. They tensely held eye contact for a moment before Brivere sighed and lowered the longsword to his side.

“Admittedly, I know the outcome of this. You will win and move onto fighting the Calamity, although that should be of no surprise. Your raw talent makes you a terror on the battlefield.” His golden eyes drifted off to the side, becoming distant. “But… there are too many ways that your fated battle may go. For each time that I saw you win, I also saw you lose. And eventually, all I could see was your horrible death in hundreds of different ways, over and over again. Perhaps it is selfish of me, but I wish for your sword to prove to me that my grim visions are of a future that will not come. I suppose my ‘gift’ is just to compensate for it.”

Brivere would have continued, but the words were caught in his throat as Link’s blade was suddenly pointed at it.

A crazed sneer took over the Hylian’s face. “Then I fully intend to earn your gift.” he said as Brivere knocked Link’s weapon away with his longsword before jumping back. Both of them slowly circled each other again, neither of them attacking until Link finished his sentence.

“I’ll get it not just to benefit me, but to prove you wrong as well.”

;

As predicted, Link was now riding off on his beloved horse Crazy Girl with Brivere’s report in his hands. Usually the golden Zora would have been upset about losing against Link, but instead, he simply looked relieved that the Hylian had shown just how strong he had become.

It took a long time for everyone to say farewell after the match. No one knew who had been trying to draw out the departing words more: Link or whichever crying Zora he was saying goodbye to. But it really didn’t matter in the end, since no matter what, the Hylian would still have to march off to his destiny. Of course, Sidon and Brivere had followed him around the whole time, trying to spend every last minute with their beloved Hylian friend. They had even followed him out to Inogo Bridge with a couple other Zora soldiers, and probably would have gone all the way to Hyrule castle if Brivere hadn’t held Sidon back, deciding that both of them had to let go already.

All of the Zora on the bridge continued to shout words of farewell and encouragement as Link rode away on Crazy Girl. Of course Sidon’s were the loudest, since he was much bigger than the others and had a naturally booming voice like his father. He also tended to get too excited for his own good.

Link could feel his face heat up at the words of support that his lover was screaming at the top of his lungs. He had heard those exact words so many times before, but they never failed to completely embarrass him. Link’s hand squeezed the silver necklace that Sidon had given him a few months back, a blue Zora sapphire shining brilliantly in the center.

He let go of the jewelry with a sigh, regaining his hold on Brivere’s report sitting in his lap. Although he had already read through all of it, he couldn’t help but skim through the words again. Sure, it was extremely useful, but it was also obvious that a lot of time and effort had been put into the gift, and so he wanted to appreciate it as much as possible.

As much as the golden knight tried to hide it, Link knew about how Brivere would still sometimes collapse or have another mental breakdown when he put his father’s choker on. It was still the only way to activate his abilities and he was frustrated that he couldn’t do it on his own yet. Link had heard about all of it from Sidon, the only other person who knew about Brivere’s struggles other than three Zoras who helped him with his practices. Estuu was one of them and didn’t tell Link anything despite their close friendship, although it was unclear if it was because the younger Zora was mute or if it was out of respect for his older brother.

The stack of papers were so thick and heavy that Link had to hold them with both hands. Even the handwriting was very legible, which was a surprise since Brivere had little control of his body when he caught a glimpse of the future. Link could only imagine how much pain the Knight Captain had went through to make this lengthy report, all for the sole purpose of trying to keep the Hylian from needlessly dying.

Although it would benefit the rest of Hyrule for him to stay alive and win the fight against the Calamity, Link could tell that Brivere had only been thinking of _him_ when he had made the gift.

Link was so caught up in his reading that he didn’t notice how Brivere’s shouts of farewell suddenly stopped, but that may have also been because the other Zora soldiers and Prince Sidon continued to cheer and drown out his silence. And no one noticed how the golden Zora’s body locked up for a full minute before he suddenly launched off of the bridge, madly running towards Crazy Girl and the Hylian sitting on top of her.

“LINK!”

The Hylian Champion turned to face whoever was shouting at him. He was surprised to see the usually quiet and reserved Knight Captain fighting against the grasp of Prince Sidon at the base of the bridge. They were too far away for Link to go back, but he could still make out the panic on Brivere’s face.

“DO NOT STAND IN THE CENTER! PLEASE STAY OFF TO THE SIDE!”

Brivere continued to yell, but anything after those words of caution melted into a jumbled and incoherent mess. A couple more guards had come to help bring back the hysterical knight, but Sidon was easily able to handle it on his own since he was much bigger than everyone there. Link could only stare back as all of the Zora disappeared back over the bridge.

Pausing, he looked down at Brivere’s report, storing away the Zora knight’s mysterious last warning at the back of his mind. And with that, he whistled for Crazy Girl to pick up the pace, both of them thundering across the road leading to Hyrule Castle at an alarming speed.

;

_link…_

Zelda’s voice rang in his head as a blinding holy light emanated from the fleshy sack that clung to the castle’s ornate ceiling.

_Link…_

The castle seemed to be shaking with energy. Outside of its fancy windows, the world appeared to be on fire.

_LINK!…_

The disgusting amalgamation of malevolence above pulsated threateningly, as if it were a heart that provided life to all of the evil and malice that continued to taint Hyrule. Link stared at it in disgusted fascination, standing in the center of the room with his head craned up towards the ceiling.

_I’m sorry… but my power isn’t strong enough…_

__Fear gripped Link’s heart as Zelda’s voice and her holy light began to fade, the only things that illuminated the dark room from its corruption. He could only hope that both of them would somehow make it out of this mess in one piece.

_I can’t hold him…_

A beam of light cut her off, shooting out of the pulsating heart and slicing into the walls around them. Link threw his hands up and ducked, remembering this part from Brivere’s report. He looked back up to see unholy lights swirl on the surface of the sack. It suddenly hissed as steam rose out of several red pores. The sack began to squirm around on the ceiling, as if something inside was fighting to break free of its fleshy prison.

Brivere’s last cryptic message popped into his head and Link quickly dove off to the side. Something large burst out of the fleshy cocoon with a disgusting squelch and it fell to the ground below, causing the floor to crack underneath its writhing body.

If Link hadn’t moved, it definitely would have squashed him into a Hylian pancake. He silently thanked Brivere for helping him avoid such an embarrassing way to accidentally fuck over all of Hyrule.

The floor crumbled due to the immense weight and pressure suddenly put on it, making the creature and Link to fall through the hole that quickly formed beneath their feet. Brivere’s report flashed through his mind and he quickly whipped out his glider, gently floating above the creature as it slammed onto the ground below.

Link slowly glided down to the ruined castle floor, cursing when he saw that the monster had somehow not died from the harsh impact. Its form was so large that it cut through the smoke and debris floating in the air with even the smallest movement.

The disgusting beast was unlike any other monster that Link had encountered throughout his journey through Hyrule. It resembled a spider but it had much more limbs, all of them misshapen and different sizes, each one flailing around and slamming into the stone walls. An unholy red aura shone through web-like cracks in its body. Every inch of it seemed to be covered in illuminated armor, yellow lights flickering in the joints, its claws glowing an unnatural blue, as if it was on fire. A dark scarlet beard almost obscured its head and trailed down its back, so large and thick that it was as if the creature was wearing another animal around its neck. It faced Link with piercing red eyes before throwing its head back, letting out an unholy screech that shook the entire ruined building.

Calamity Ganon. The Scourge of Hyrule Castle.

The very embodiment of evil and power. A blight on all that is good. As long as it was alive, it threatened the safety of every living thing in Hyrule and perhaps even beyond.

In that moment, Link almost gave up. Perhaps he actually would have run if he hadn’t been trapped in the ruins of a destroyed castle, one which used to be the very symbol of strength and power from the royal family’s rule over a thriving nation. It wasn’t exactly like he had the most heroic motivation to carry on.

Ever since he had woken up from the Shrine of Resurrection, he had had a difficult time caring about the people who only saw him as a weapon from Hylia. A weapon that’s sole purpose was to be broken for their own protection as they cowered on the sidelines.

Perhaps it wasn’t very hero-like of him, but, in that moment, he wasn’t thinking about saving everyone in Hyrule. He hadn’t even met most of them and probably wouldn’t be particularly bothered in the slightest if they died.

But, at the very least, there were a few people that meant the world to him. And in return, he would save the world for them.

Whipping out his sword and shield, Link got into a battle stance and prepared to move at the smallest threat. He would not allow the people he loved to just become memories. Not again. No, he would see them once more.

…And if he didn’t, he would rather die before he let the Calamity get to them and threaten their peace again. He would not let their hope riding on his success go to waste.

He would not fail them. Not again.


	2. The First Oracle Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With visions of his future descendants in mind, Brivere enlists Prince Sidon to help him persuade the Zora royal council to agree to an unprecedented request. The outcome of this request results in the need for a new Knight Captain.
> 
> (A fanfic for the Sidlink fanfic Coma Baby by BanishedOne, a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3, and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don’t need to read the whole series to get what’s going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren’t trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

Brivere stood behind his prince, head bowed down, with his hands balanced the on the hilt of a silverscale longsword, its sharp point digging into the marble floor of the council hall. He usually didn’t use such an outdated posture in these meetings, but Prince Sidon had advised him to appeal to the older Zora council in order to gain a little of their favor.

Although the two of them had put a lot of thought and research into their proposition, the knowledge that Brivere could either secure or lose his request with even the smallest action kept him on edge. Luckily, he was used to suppressing such worries, and so no one was able to catch onto the pit of anxiety that gnawed at his stomach. The only noticeable trait that gave his true feelings away was how tightly he was clutching onto his longsword.

After everyone had properly bowed to King Dorephan and settled in, Prince Sidon gave Brivere the nod to raise his head and stand up straight with his hands folded behind his back. He did so after gracefully twirling his sword around himself, snapping it into the weapon strap that was wrapped around one shoulder and looped across his broad chest. The longsword was completely still, hanging off of his back. This earned him a couple of pleased nods from the council members and apostles.

“Knight CaptainKnight Captain Brivere,” King Dorephan boomed. “it has come to our attention that you and my son have a request of us.”

Brivere nodded politely. “Yes, your majesty. While I am very aware that the positions we currently have in our government are traditionally passed down from our great ancestors, I find it necessary to add a new role into our roster.”

The golden knight didn’t need his future ability to predict the mutters and head shakes that immediately came after his demand. Nonetheless, it still upset him that his suggestion was already being shot down before he was even able to properly explain himself.

King Dorephan hummed thoughtfully. “What makes you believe so, Brivere?”

“As you all know, I have recently awakened my ability to see the future, which is similar to my father’s.” The council nodded, recalling the event from a few days ago. “With this, it is clear that this power is passed through blood, generation to generation. I believe it is a blessing from Hylia herself, wanting to continue her protection of our people with this gift. As a result, I would like to create the position of Oracle Knight, name courtesy of Prince Sidon.” The prince grinned at this, remembering how the two of them had playfully fought over what to call their joint creation for days in the royal records hall.

“And just what would the purpose of this position be, Knight Captain?” Muzu asked.

“It is similar to the Knight Captain position, but it has the additional responsibility of using the ability to see the future to properly advise and protect the royal family. It will be passed down generation by generation, to whichever of my descendants receives this power.”

At this, one particularly displeased council member scoffed. “We cannot defy Zora traditions! We have kept and maintained our current position roster since the beginning of our race, only picking those who are qualified.”

Prince Sidon was now the one to speak up, eager to show off how prepared the two of them were. “Actually, that is not entirely correct. If you examine these positions,” he said, holding up a scroll from the royal records hall, pointing a claw at several sections, “they have only been added within the past few centuries, when they became necessary. I would be glad to give you this scroll to examine, but rest assured that Brivere and I have already confirmed its legitimacy.”

“Even so, we cannot let the position only be passed down by blood! The only one that follows that ritual is the role of the king!” Muzu hissed. “Do you intend to create this position just to usurp power from the royal family?!”

At this, Brivere shook his head. “That is far from my intention. I only ask that the position of Oracle Knight be passed down my bloodline because that is the only way the power to see the future will flow, and that quality is necessary for this new title. If it pleases the council, you may take away as much power or pay from this status as you like, but all I ask is that you keep its duty to protect the royal family.”

The council listened, seemingly more content with that compromise. King Dorephan let the words sink in before he broke the silence. “I believe that is all the questions we have, unless anyone else is unsatisfied.” The other members shook their heads. Brivere slowly became nervous, as the council members all suddenly wore the same emotionless mask that he had. It was impossible to tell what conclusion they had come to. “In that case, you may make a closing statement before you and my son must leave for us to deliberate and come to our answer.”

Brivere nodded, quietly clearing his throat as he stepped forward. His eyes softly gazed around, trying to make direct contact with each individual council member and apostle. “I know that tradition is important, and I would never disrespect our culture and proud history. That is why I propose that we start this new custom, not starting with me, but with my late father Prion.”

The council broke out into a wave of confused murmurs as King Dorephan raised his brow. “My father used his abilities to protect and advise the king in order to help our kingdom prosper. I simply wish to pick up where he left off and protect Prince Sidon. With this, we can start a new tradition where my descendants will dedicate themselves to the royal family. I wish to create this position not to gain more power or status, but merely to pledge my bloodline’s loyalty to the royal line from now on. Whatever your decision, I am thankful for your consideration.”

With this, Prince Sidon and his Knight Captain Brivere bowed respectfully before turning to leave the chamber.

;

“How do you think it went?” Brivere asked as he and his prince strolled down one of the palace’s many halls.

“To be quite frank, it is difficult to tell. They all looked about as indifferent as you usually do.” Sidon teased, trying to ease his knight’s tension. His attempt failed, as Brivere looked up at him with a rare worried look in his eyes, clearly wanting to ask something. “And no, I did not use my abilities to read their emotions. You know that I never use them without the person’s clear consent unless it is an emergency.”

Brivere nodded sheepishly, ashamed that the prince had caught onto his curiosity. “I apologize, my lord, it was improper of me to expect such a thing from you. I am just thankful that you helped me with the research and construction of my argument. This never would have happened without your assistance.” Sidon chuckled at his knight’s modesty. The two of them stopped in front of one of the windows, quietly enjoying the sight of their beloved Domain sprawled out before them.

Turning to face the golden Zora, Sidon let a genuine smile stretch across his pale face. “No matter the outcome, I do not regret supporting the Oracle Knight. But are you absolutely certain that your bloodline will not feel chained to and resent the title?”

“I have already told you of the visions that I had.” Brivere said softly, not looking away from the window. “Although, I did not mention them during the hearing because I worried that the council may think that I was making them up for my own benefit. But as long as you believe me, I am confident in my decision.”

Sidon nodded and turned back to gaze at the citizens walking around, enjoying the sunny weather. “Could you tell them to me again?” he asked gently.

Brivere slightly bobbed his head up and down before closing his eyes, basking in the sunlight. “I saw myself training a young girl who looked so similar to me. She always followed around a young man who looked so similar to you. This girl could predict the future, and she used this gift to protect and serve the young man. They went everywhere together, maintaining an admirably strong bond no matter how terrible the war or how great the distance. Then, the girl was training a little boy who looked more like her, but I could still see myself in him, and he followed around another little boy who looked so much like you that it hurt.”

“I watched the same cycle repeat through generations and generations of our bloodline, the powerful bond between our families never breaking. It was obvious that my descendants didn’t despise their role. Instead, they were completely honored to have the chance to protect the person they loved for the rest of their lives. And in each of them, I saw our Domain finally at peace, continuing to thrive under your family’s rule.”

The two of them leaned against the window sill in silence, enjoying the thought of their descendants thriving within their beloved kingdom. Brivere only opened his eyes when he felt Sidon’s strong arm rope around his waist. “And did you happen to see if my future children were also yours?” the prince teased.

Brivere flushed, quickly looking around to see if anyone else was nearby. The two of them and the Hylian Champion had been in an open relationship with each other for a while now. He and Link weren’t dating, a fact that bothered Brivere for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, but were rather just friends that happened to be in love with the same prince. However, their polyamorous relationship was unheard of in Zora culture, who mated with only one person for the rest of their lives, always with a strong soul-bond. Anything else was taboo. Brivere knew this well, considering what happened with his later mother.

As a result, they decided to keep the whole thing secret for now since all of them held such high and public positions. And even though the Hylian Champion was off fighting the Calamity, the other two Zoras decided to keep their own bond a secret, not wanting to expose themselves without him. 

But Sidon would always tease the golden knight, saying that if he and Link developed into something more then he would easily approve. Brivere would always ignore it in turn. There’s no way he could date a man they used to despise; their current friendship is nothing short of a miracle.

So there was no reason to push or hope for anything more and possibly ruin that.

Finding no one, Brivere eased up slightly and leaned against Sidon’s chest, angling his tail so that it wouldn’t be squished in-between them. “Admittedly, I couldn’t tell. I was more focused on watching the actions of our children rather than their actual relation to each other.” The prince hummed in response, leaning his head on top of Brivere’s as they continued to gaze at the scenery outside of the window. Neither of them had any idea of how much time had passed when they heard a guard calling their names. They quickly pulled apart from each other as he came around the corner, announcing that the council had reached their decision.

Thanking him, both Zoras ran over to the council’s chamber, stopping out of sight of the entranceway to catch their breaths and recompose themselves. Sidon was the first to straighten up, giving his knight a reassuring squeeze on the arm before turning to face the entranceway. Swallowing the anxiety that crept up his throat, Brivere followed his prince into the chamber.

When the two of them had fully entered, the council and apostles present hushed their conversations to watch the Prince and his Knight position themselves in front of the king. Brivere whipped out his sword, going back into the same position as the beginning of the last meeting. He held his head down and gripped onto the weapon until Sidon gave him the same nod, and then he spun the sword around again until it hung off of his back, buckled into the weapon strap. Although the council had already come to their decision and no amount of theatrics could change it now, Brivere figured that he may as well give them a show they wouldn’t forget.

“Knight Captain Brivere and my beloved son Prince Sidon.” King Dorephan said in a proud voice. “The council has agreed to create the new position and title of the Oracle Knight.”

Years of maintaining a stone-cold mask of indifference was the only thing that saved Brivere’s dignity in that moment. If it hadn’t been for his aquired muscle memory in keeping a tough, indifferent appearance, he would have jumped around and shouted with joy. One quick moment of eye contact with Prince Sidon made it easy to tell that the prince wanted to do the same, but he was much less skilled at hiding it. The wide smile that stretched across his face completely gave him away.

“However, in exchange, the Oracle Knight will have a few differences from the Knight Captain, in order to balance out the power and maintain the tradition of Knight Captain.” Brivere nodded hesitantly. Fair enough. “The Knight Captain will continue to be the captain of the knights, but the Oracle Knight will not. Rather, they will solely be the personal knight and advisor of their designated member of the royal line. Both knights will report to their ruler, but neither will have any formal control over the other. Each will be considered to be the same in terms of status and equal in their importance. Does this satisfy the two of you?”

They bowed in unison and said “Yes, your majesty.” Brivere then stepped forward and knelt before the council members. “I am extremely grateful to all of you for your approval. I promise that I and my future descendants will never come to make any of you regret this decision.”

“We will be holding you to that,” King Dorephan chuckled. “However, there is more to our decision. In order for us to establish this new title, we have one more addition to the role of the Oracle Knight.” Brivere and Sidon glanced up, unable to keep the confusion off of their faces.

“We will explain more in a moment, but the two of you should prepare yourselves to speak in front of the whole Domain.”

;

An announcement was made that the Prince would be giving an important speech that pertained to everyone, even the Undercity dwellers, and so every Zora in the Domain was crammed together in the large streets near the palace. That is to say that the upper class sat in more comfortable viewing areas while the Undercity Zora tried not to touch them. The streets were alive with the sounds of conversation and rumors, all of the Zora wondering what the announcement would be about. They all prayed that it wasn’t a worrying declaration of something catastrophic happening again in the Domain, such as another Water Blight spreading around.

Their patience finally paid off when the prince came into view on one of the balconies with his Knight Captain right beside him, as usual. As expected, complete chaos broke out at the site of their beloved Prince, the women shrieking at his handsome appearance and the Undercity Zora hollering in appreciation of his inclusive policies on class equality. The prince rode out the excitement, showing off a wide smile as he waved to the crowd. His Knight Captain next to him was wearing an unfamiliar but fancy choker that covered all of his upper chest and neck, but no one was paying attention to the reserved golden Zora in favor of the more popular Prince Sidon.

Eventually the prince had to hold up his hand, waiting for the excited crowd to calm down before he spoke. “Zora of the Domain!” he bellowed, making sure each word could be heard by every individual. “I must thank you all for coming on such short notice. The announcement that I will make was the result of a decision made by the council just a few moments ago, and it was important for us to get this information out as soon as possible.”

Prince Sidon paused. “In short, I am in need of a new Knight Captain.”

A collective gasp washed over the crowd as everyone gawked at the former Knight Captain who was still standing next to the prince with a blank face. Waves of rumors and conversation soon drowned out the shock as every Zora in attendance speculated how the Knight Captain had gotten himself removed from his position. Those in the crowd who had always ridiculed and despised Brivere grinned smugly as they watched him continue to stand there with his usual emotionally-devoid stare. They were pleased to imagine how much he was actually squirming under that cold mask of his.

Everyone silenced when the prince raised his hand again. “Just as before, I am making the position open to everyone within the Domain, no matter their bloodline or class. We will decide this with the same tournament system, which will start in a few months. For those who wish to participate, you will need to register in the Basilica within the next few weeks and undergo a mental and physical examination before gaining approval to compete. I wish the best of luck to all of you.”

The crowd cheered, Undercity Zora in particular, and Prince Sidon waited until the noise calmed before he continued. “With that being said, I am proud to ask all of you to pay attention to my new Oracle Knight, Brivere.”

The cheers quickly stopped as the crowd stared in confusion as the prince stepped aside and gestured for the golden Zora to take his place. Oracle Knight? Every Zora was required to learn about the different positions and statuses available within their government, and they had definitely _never_ heard of that one before.

They all finally noticed the very flashy choker that covered most of Brivere’s upper body, and each Zora turned to each other to ask if anyone knew which position it signified. It was definitely fancier than the Prince’s, but there was no way that the former Knight Captain would suddenly have more status than him. When he opened his mouth, the crowd was almost silent, wanting to hang onto every word that he said, searching for answers.

“First off, I must apologize for the misleading way that my lord introduced me.” Brivere said, shooting a pointed glance to Prince Sidon who just smiled back sheepishly. “I was not removed from my position for any misdeeds on my part. Rather, I have just been appointed to the status of Oracle Knight. It is alright if none of you know of it, because it was created just moments ago by the royal council through my request. Put simply, in this new position, I will advise and protect the royal family, Prince Sidon in particular, with my ability to see the future.”

The crowd gawked at the Oracle Knight, the streets full of shouts of denial and shock. There was only one Zora that everyone knew of that had had that very same power, and that man was dead.

Brivere knew that he didn’t have as much respect built up as Prince Sidon, so he just waited for the crowd to quiet down. It took a while, since everyone was busy trying to wrap their tails around his words, but eventually they calmed down enough for his voice to be heard again.

“Some of you in the crowd are aware of the controversy that has surrounded my lineage ever since my birth. However, I am not here to discuss that or to explain every single rumor to all of you. To make a long story short, I have been confirmed to be the son of Prion, and this choker is the same that he wore.”

To an outsider, one would have thought that the Calamity had struck the Zora Domain once more. The streets shook in complete chaos as everyone began shouting and clamoring for answers. Those who had never known Brivere were completely blindsided by the fact that the late First Knight Prion, a decorated war hero that they all celebrated even to this day, had had a hidden son for so long. And those who _did_ know Brivere either felt embarrassment for being wrong or felt nothing but rage and disbelief.

Several guards had to be dispatched in order to hold back the wild crowd. Prince Sidon threw his arms around as he shouted for everyone to calm down while Brivere reflexively held a battle stance in front of the prince, trying to hold him back from the chaos. The mayhem below nearly drowned out the approaching footsteps of King Dorephan as he walked to the balcony.

“Silence!” the king bellowed, his voice nearly knocking over every Zora in attendance. Instantly, the streets were quiet once more, almost as if the Calamity had killed them all in a heartbeat. “While the shock of these new decisions and discoveries are natural, it is no excuse to treat our speaker with such disrespect. We will release more detailed information about everything later but, for now, I swear to you, my beloved citizens, that we are absolutely certain that Brivere is the son of Prion.”

The crowd let his words sink in, only somewhat satisfied. King Dorephan let out a huff, turning to Brivere who had somehow went through all of the chaos with a straight face. “Please continue, Oracle Knight.”

Brivere nodded and walked back out to the front of the balcony. “I did not come here solely to speak of my new position or to confirm my parentage.” he began. “I must also talk of the additional position that the council has attached to mine: the Holy Knight. It is simply a personal knight and assistant to the Oracle Knight.”

“Similar to the Knight Captain, the position will be open to everyone, regardless of class or family name. Unlike Prince Sidon’s tournament, however, the winner will not be decided _solely_ on raw strength alone.” Brivere explained. “A series of trials will he held to test for intelligence and a sharp mind. The final stage will be different, but its content will not be revealed until ten people remain. Those who wish to participate will gather in the records hall at dawn 3 months from today.”

“I advise anyone who considers joining to study as much as you can, particularly government politics, but unfortunately, I cannot give any other advice than that.” With this, Brivere bowed. “Thank you all for your time.”

He was about to turn to retreat back into the palace, but he hesitated, clearly sensing something. His body visibly locked up for a moment before he spoke again. “I am aware that many of you may be wondering why we are bothering to hold these trials and tournaments if I could just use my ability to already select the winners.” Everyone in the crowd stared back, dumbfounded.

Brivere quickly tried to explain himself. “Admittedly, I just had a short vision of many of you asking me that very question or disregarding the competitions altogether. However, I encourage you all to try. The future is always subject to change based on your actions, so do not believe that you have no chance. You will only fail if you do not try.”

At this, Brivere paused, and suddenly his golden eyes shifted off to the side. It was clear that he was staring at someone in particular. “Good luck to all of you,” he blurted out, shifting his gaze back before the crowd could determine who he was looking at. “I look forward to working with the winner.” With this, he quickly turned to go back to Prince Sidon’s side, and the two of them followed behind King Dorephan to disappear back into the palace.

;

With the announcements finished, the crowd began to disperse, loudly talking amongst themselves about the shocking news of not only the discovery of Prion’s lost son but also the rare addition of two new titles. Undercity Zora were absolutely ecstatic, boasting about how they were going to prepare for Prince Sidon’s tournament or the Oracle Knight’s trials as they swam back down to their homes. Uppercity Zora complained about the Undercity Zora’s excitement, confident that none of them would win against the elite class. But no matter where they were from, gossip began to flow between every Zora about the day’s new discoveries.

Estuu watched it all from the tall rock that he was perched on. He had been listening to the announcements from this height, wanting to avoid getting smothered in the rambunctious crowd that had filled out the streets earlier.

Admittedly, when everyone had burst into complete havoc at the announcement of Brivere being Prion’s son, Estuu had had a bit of a meltdown. He had covered his ears and whined, his tail wildly smacking against his back. King Dorephan’s loud voice had almost sent him over the edge, but his older brother’s familiar tone had brought him back.

Estuu didn’t quite understand why his brother had looked at him like that around the end of his speech. Part of him knew that it was because the overprotective Zora was worried about him, but the other part argued that there was something else in his older brother’s gaze. But Estuu quickly shook the strange feeling off, knowing that he had something else more pressing to attend to.

When the crowd had mostly disappeared, save for the usual residents who lingered in the streets to talk to their neighbors, Estuu carefully climbed down from the rock with his one functioning hand. He quickly scurried through the streets towards the library.

If he made it in time, he could still rent out enough books to study for the Holy Knight trials.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh shit estuu what are you doin
> 
> anyways what did yall think? the current plan is 11 chapters and 4 bonus chapters


	3. The First Holy Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Brivere now in the new position of Oracle Knight, the need for a new Knight Captain for Prince Sidon must be determined through a tournament. Brivere is also in need of his own personal knight, but, unlike the prince, he holds a series of tests that are more focused on knowledge and intelligence rather than physical prowess. An unexpected contender joins the fight to become the first Holy Knight.
> 
> (A fanfic for the Sidlink fanfic Coma Baby by BanishedOne, and also a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3, and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don’t need to read the whole series to get what’s going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything! I also post all chapters on my AO3 account BunnyBob!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren’t trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

Estuu quietly slinked through the winding palace halls, hoping to sneak back into his shared room undetected. When Brivere had been found to actually be Prion’s son, he was immediately given a room inside of the palace. And although Estuu didn’t share the same blood relation with the late First Knight, he had been offered a place to stay as well.

His older brother had been the one who had insisted on sharing a room, even though King Dorephan repeatedly assured them that there were many empty rooms available and that it really wasn’t any trouble to give each brother their own place to stay. Estuu didn’t care enough to fight back, and eventually, the king had given in to Brivere’s polite demands, most likely still trying to make up for his past indecision that had led to their family’s suffering.

To Estuu, anything beat living in the ruins of their collapsed house, constantly on edge as he lay in the graveyard of his old life. He would eventually get so stressed that the brothers would end up leaving anyways. Besides, the two of them had shared the same living space ever since he was born and they were definitely more comfortable with each other’s company than without.

The only thing that bothered Estuu about the joint room situation was his older brother’s over protective nature. It _still_ didn’t go away even after Brivere’s parentage was cleared up and he had even revealed that he had the power to see the future like Prion. In fact, Brivere’s new future-seeing abilities had made him even _more_ worried about Estuu, which no one had thought actually possible. Estuu even rolled his eyes the other day when his older brother had begged him not to go down a certain street because “the road was still unfinished and I saw you trip at least 6 times and hurt yourself.” Out of sheer curiosity, he still had gone down that very same road and had ended up with a scraped knee, which had then resulted in Brivere tending to it and hovering around to make sure that the bandages didn’t shift.

Estuu only softened up to his brother’s worries when he began quietly weeping in his sleep. Even during all of the stress and hardship that they had gone through before living in the palace, he had never really seen his older brother cry before. Now, Estuu just ended up watching his brother writhe around on their water bed, unsure of what to do. Meanwhile, Brivere would break out into a cold sweat and begin whispering Estuu’s name, shouting and begging for him not to die. It wasn’t hard to figure out that his older brother was having nightmares of the future, completely torn apart at the thought of losing Estuu, his only living relative.

So, when Estuu finally managed to slip into his room, he wasn’t surprised to see Brivere already standing there with his arms crossed. “Where were you?” he asked. “I know you wanted to listen to my speech, but that was hours ago!”

Shrugging, Estuu set his rucksack onto the floor near their bed, trying to hide how much it was bulging from the books stuffed inside. Nothing could escape his brother’s watchful eye, however, and he quickly strode over to open the pack.

Estuu didn’t panic as he watched his older brother pull out and examine each book. It wasn’t as if Estuu wasn’t already an avid reader, so the sudden stack of reading material that he brought home wasn’t inherently suspicious.

 Apparently, however, it was to Brivere. “What are all of these books on law and government proceedings doing here? You usually read more enjoyable titles like _The Cursed Girl_.” he asked, waving around a copy of _Zora Court Orders_.

Estuu just shrugged again. It wasn’t as if his brother could push him any further on it.

But to his surprise, Brivere angrily threw the book down onto their water bed where it harshly bounced and almost fell onto the floor. “Estuu. Do not lie to me or beat around the bush. I know that you intend to compete in my trials for the position of Holy Knight.”

Rarely was Estuu caught off guard, but, in that moment, he gawked at his older brother. There was _no_ way he could have known.

Brivere’s pinched face tightened as he reached up to rub his crest. “I was afraid that the visions I had of your plans would turn out to be true,” he explained, trying to keep his voice steady. “I originally wished for you to be a scholar, since you are so intelligent and that would keep you in the Basillica or somewhere else safe. It was already too much when I relented and allowed you to be a healer on our expeditions. You were swallowed by a Hinox, for Hylia’s sake!“

Estuu shrugged. Sure, he had been eaten by a monster, and SURE, _maybe_ he would have died if Prince Sidon hadn’t rescued him, but that was in the past. At this moment, Estuu wanted to prove that he was strong enough to take on the Hinox again. He stared back at his older brother, trying to convey this.

Brivere clearly misunderstood. It was often joked that the infamous resting bitch face ran in their family, not necessarily just by blood, and even King Dorephan fondly recalled that Prion had accidentally scowled at council members back in the day. So when Estuu seemed to be glaring back at him, Brivere only got more frustrated. "Estuu,” the golden Zora said through sharp, gritted teeth. “I forbid you from participating in the trials.”

Estuu’s mouth parted slightly in shock, eyes wide as he stared back at his older brother. Brivere took advantage of the silence and continued. “As Oracle Knight, I can ban anyone from becoming my Holy Knight, and I will do so with you out of concern for your safety.”

Estuu’s only hand clenched at his side as heat began to rise in his chest. His older brother couldn’t do that! This was his one chance to finally prove that he wasn’t the weak, broken child that Brivere and everyone else clearly thought he was!

At this point, Brivere’s rejection felt like nothing but absolute mockery.

A rare, loud growl came out of Estuu’s mouth, the sound so foreign that even Brivere was shocked. The younger Zora began to lose control of his body as his head tail angrily smacked against his small back, his stumped arm wildly waving around while his only hand jabbed a finger at the books and then back at his chest repeatedly.

Brivere’s gaze hardened. “No. You will NOT participate in the trials for as long as I am Oracle Knight,” he said as he quickly snatched up Estuu’s rucksack. “This is for your own good, why can you not see that?”

Hissing, Estuu lurched forward and clawed as his bag. No, no! Those were his! His older brother couldn’t do this!

“Estuu, stop!” Brivere yelled, holding the rucksack above his head. The younger Zora screeched and aggressively swung his one good arm around, accidentally scratching his older brother as he jumped at his rucksack.

Suddenly, the golden Zora let out a grunt of frustration and dropped the bag onto the floor. Estuu scrambled to grab it, clutching the rucksack to his chest. “You never listen to me!” Brivere shouted down at him. “If you want the books, fine! If you want to continue throwing yourself into danger, fine! But I refuse to stand aside and watch you tear yourself apart!”

His voice immediately stopped when he saw how shaken Estuu was by the sudden change in volume and edge in his tone. Brivere absolutely hated that he had reduced his brother down to this.

“Estuu…” he said softly, starting again. “I am truly only thinking of your wellbeing. But you clearly think otherwise. I do not wish to keep being the source of your frustrations and reason for your misery.“ Slowly backing towards the entryway, Brivere held up his hands in defeat. "I’m sorry, Estuu. I will not allow you to be the Holy Knight. As compensation, I will give you the space that you deserve.”

And with that, his older brother walked out of their no longer shared room.

He had no idea how much time had passed since his brother had left. It was certainly long enough for Brivere not to hear what happened afterwards, since he didnt come running into the room when Estuu crumpled to the ground. A strangled scream wretched itself out of Estuu’s chest, tearing his throat apart due to years of disuse. Even with its sheer volume he couldn’t hear his own screeches over his pounding heart, deafening in how it was viciously pumping boiling hot blood into his head.

He curled up into himself, tightly shutting his eyes. The world was becoming too sharp, the pale moonlight completely blinding, every inch of the room becoming warped. He could feel the air rushing over his scales like knives, so unbearable that it was as if it was scratching his skin to shreds.

His tiny scarlet body writhed on the floor, breaking out of the fetal position as his limbs wildly flailed around. Without meaning to, his only functioning arm flew to his face, and he wrestled it into his sharp-toothed mouth and bit down _hard_.

A ripple of relief barely washed over his body as the intense pain slightly grounded him back into reality, if only for a moment. But it wasn’t enough. His body and mind were too far gone, completely lost in the anguish that threatened to drown him in its intensity.

He was losing everything.

He was losing his mother, gaining a meaningless higher status out of technicality and abandoned by his biological father. He was losing his arm and couldn’t shoot a bow, a skill that gave him some sense of value to his worthless life. He was losing his healing abilities along with the arm and became useless to those above him that just wanted a quick fix for their problems. He was losing his house, the small sanctuary in this chaotic world, destroying every sense of stability in his life in an instant. He was losing his sanity and turning into nothing but a miniature Calamity that threatened to tear everything and everyone around him apart, even himself.

Yet through it all, his older brother had stayed, even as Estuu lost more and more of himself, becoming a hopeless parasite off of Brivere’s love and concern.

And now he had lost his beloved brother, and he had nothing.

;

The days following the fight were awkward, to say the least.

Everyone was confused as to why the overprotective Brivere was suddenly never with his younger brother, who had often followed him around before. They found that Estuu had holed himself up in his no longer joint room, refusing to come out from under a nest of blankets on the waterbed. Brivere would only make brief appearances to heal Estuu’s self-inflicted wounds and to make sure that the younger Zora ate, but even those short moments were tense, and Estuu wouldn’t even look at the meals given to him until his brother had left. It came to a point that a servant would just be sent by his older brother, holding a carefully selected meal for his unforgivingly sensitive palate.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Sidon sadly watched the brothers tear themselves apart, the two of them growing more distant with each passing day. Brivere’s nightmares of the future only got worse, and he would wake up sobbing from the thought that his younger brother would die hating him. Estuu hadn’t left the room since the fight and would have been presumed dead in his motionless blanket cocoon, if it weren’t for the empty plates indicating that he was at least still eating.

One particular night, Estuu heard a knock on the wall. He wouldn’t have thought it peculiar, as servants often came to bring him food or to check up on him, but the bright moon was already so high in the night sky that this sound was suspicious. Gripping onto the blankets wrapped around him, he stared at the bright red Zora tail that popped out from the entryway.

“Estuu,” Prince Sidon said. “May you follow me, please?”

Estuu sighed but relented, untangling himself from the blankets. While he didn’t want to, his new room was still in the palace, which was technically the prince’s house. He didn’t want to risk accidentally making things worse for his older brother.

As if he hadn’t already done so.

Both of them walked down the castle halls, the bright gemstones they were constructed out of shining marvelously in the moonlight. They walked in silence, and while Estuu may be mute, he wasn’t necessarily in the mood for company either. Luckily for him, the prince seemed to be preoccupied by his thoughts.

Finally, Prince Sidon spoke, his low voice filling up the empty hallway. “Estuu, it has come to my understanding that you wished to become the Holy Knight, correct? And this whole situation with your brother has happened because he has forbidden you to do so?” Hesitantly, Estuu nodded.

“That is understandable. It must be so frustrating to think that your older brother doesn’t believe in you.” At this, Estuu’s tail wagged excitedly as he nodded his head. Yes! Finally, someone seemed to understand.

If only his older brother could as well.

The prince chuckled at the younger Zora’s enthusiasm. “It is admirable that you wish to serve by your brother’s side. But do you understand why he does not wish for you to do so?”

Estuu shook his head. He understood that his older brother wanted to protect him, since he had been doing so for his whole life and more so now because all they had was each other, but he at least wished that he could be given a chance to show that he was more than just Brivere’s helpless little brother.

He wanted to prove it not only to Brivere, but to himself as well.

Sidon suddenly stopped to the side of a large entry way, holding a finger up to his pale lips. “I am going to enter this room. Please pay attention and listen to all that is said, young one. While I will vouch for you, I also wish for you to better understand your older brother’s worries.”

Estuu nodded. He could already hear a soft, muffled weeping noise from inside the room, and although he didn’t want it to be, he knew that it was his older brother. He had heard the sound too many times recently, back when they used to share a waterbed in their new palace bedroom. The prince quickly disappeared through the decorated silver entrance, leaving Estuu to peer around the corner.

Brivere had apparently taken refuge in an empty room that was far away from everyone else. It was understandable, as he lost control of his body in his sleep much like he did when he put on Prion’s choker, both due to the horrible visions he received of the possible outcomes to every situation. The Oracle Knight was infamous for being emotionless and indifferent, constantly wearing a blank mask that gave away nothing of what he was truly feeling. It made him extremely intimidating and always gave off the impression that he was strong and unbreakable. He absolutely despised showing his weaknesses and kept them bottled up on a high shelf, far out of reach from anyone else.

But Sidon appeared to be the exception as he walked over and sat on the waterbed, resting a hand on Brivere’s golden back without getting smacked away. “Love…” he said gently. “Another nightmare?“

Estuu’s older brother let out a long, shuddering sigh, trying to recompose himself. "Yes, my lord. I apologize for the trouble.” A sad chuckle escaped Sidon’s mouth as he rubbed circles on Brivere’s back. Even in this situation, when they were alone and already months into a relationship, his lover still couldn’t manage to drop their formal titles.

“It is no trouble, Brivere. Do you wish to talk about it?”

After a moment of hesitation, his older brother nodded. His head hung low, trying to hide how broken he truly was to the man who showed him genuine concern. “I do not know why this keeps happening. I have gained better control of focusing my abilities when I am wearing my father’s choker, but for some reason the visions seem to be tainting my dreams as well. And as I sleep, I lose complete control of them.” A sniffle came from him and he angrily wiped at his face. “All I can see is how much harm will come to Estuu. It has only worsened ever since he tried to join the trials. He can never become the Holy Knight because… what if he becomes injured or _worse_ , because of a mistake on my part? “

His labored breaths became shaky as he spoke to himself in what was barely a whisper. “I could never handle that.”

Sidon let out a sad chuckle, but there was no humor in his breath. “I understand, but if he becomes your knight will that not allow you to keep a closer eye on him at all times?”

Throwing his clawed hands up, Brivere let out a frustrated growl. “I do not wish for him to believe that I do not think he is capable of taking care of himself! But it appears that it is the impression I have left on him, and I deeply regret it. Watching over and taking care of him when he is supposed to be doing so to me as my personal knight would be nothing short of condescending.”

He sighed and cradled his hands back in his lap. “I am well aware that he is skilled in so many ways. It is what makes me so proud to call him my brother. But his importance to me as my only family will always come above his usefulness to me as a soldier.” Estuu’s heart soared at the unexpected praise, and he didn’t notice that his head tail had started wagging lightly against his back in joy.

"If he is so skilled, then what are you afraid of?” the prince asked. His older brother hummed as he tried to come up with an answer.

“My new ability to see the future is both a blessing and a curse,” Brivere finally said, softly. “I am proud to share something with my late father and to continue his legacy of protecting and helping our kingdom. But at the same time, I see nearly every possible outcome. And I cannot help but worry at what I see for Estuu every time he leaves the palace. I may not be able to see everything that might happen, but I am certain that it only gets worse if he becomes my personal knight, for he then would follow us into battle and across dangerous paths.”

Sidon sighed. “Yes, but perhaps it is not good to see everything that is to come. If you coddle him too much, there is no room left for him to grow. It is not realistic or healthy to protect him from every possible threat in life.”

The golden Zora paused before sinking his face into his hands. “I know… perhaps it is selfish of me, but that is all I desire to do. He is my only family. I have been the only one to take care of him all of these years, and the only one to really understand him _and_ his necessities on top of that.”

Brivere let out a helpless laugh. “He is practically my son at this point.”

They both sat in silence as Sidon tried to formulate the best response. Finally, he turned to Brivere, speaking in a low voice. “Then, as a technical parent, the best you can do is to let him grow on his own. As much as it may hurt to admit, you cannot and will not always be there for him. There will come a time that he will be left on this world without you, and he will need to be able to thrive on his own.”

The prince scooted closer and slipped a clawed hand under Brivere’s chin, tilting his face up. “Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should just completely ignore him, as you have been doing. It just means that you must teach him how to be independent but still be ready to be there if he should falter.”

And with that, the Prince leaned in and bumped his crest against Brivere’s. They both stared into each other’s golden eyes as Sidon breathily whispered, “If it is any consolation, I truly believe that you have been very admirable for every moment that I have known you.”

Slowly, they closed the distance between their faces, their mouths touching one another’s. They held this for a moment and pulled back, looking at each other in the eyes before leaning in to do it again. This repeated several times until the kisses became longer and deeper, then Sidon reached his hand over and-

Estuu grimaced and almost let a strangled squeal come out of his throat. Ew. While he knew about his brother’s relationship with the Prince, and Brivere sharing him with the Hylian Champion, that didn’t mean that he wanted to _see_ it. He quickly darted back to his room before he could see them go any further and silently prayed that they didn’t.

Jumping onto the waterbed, Estuu settled underneath the blankets. For the first time in weeks, he didn’t tightly wrap himself within their warm grasp, in an attempt to block out the unforgiving world around him. Instead, he let his brother’s words sing him to sleep, carrying him off to a more peaceful place.

;

“I’m glad to see that your mood has improved, young one,” the prince said the next morning, standing in front of the water bed. “I take it that you took my advice to listen to and watch everything last night?”

The sudden glare from Estuu caught him off guard. Realization dawned on him. “O-oh, right… actually, how much did you witness?”

Estuu let out a high-pitched squeal and shoved his face into a water cushion. “I apologize, Estuu,” the prince chuckled. “Perhaps I got too carried away last night. I was just trying to put him in a good mood so that he would see your side better.”

Raising his head, Estuu rolled his eyes and let out a whine. It was absolutely endearing, and it made Sidon laugh. “Oh, do not overreact! Really, you should be thanking me.”

Estuu arched his brow at the mischievous Prince, who had a wide, sly grin stretched across his face. “I am not one to spoil a surprise, but I _did_ see my Oracle Knight talking to some council members earlier today.”

The younger Zora shot up onto his feet, nearly toppling over on the water bed. A series of whimpers slipped out of his mouth as he bounced around on his webbed toes, his arms (well, an arm and a stump) recklessly waving around. Sidon laughed, and he would have picked up the adorably excited Zora into his arms and spun him around if it weren’t for the knowledge that Estuu absolutely despised physical contact. “I apologize, but I cannot tell you more than that! I do believe that the words will be much more gratifying coming from your brother’s own mouth.”

As if planned, Brivere suddenly walked through the bedroom’s archway. The only thing that told Estuu that is was just mere coincidence was the clear confusion on his older brother’s face. “My lord?” he asked, arching his brow at his prince. “May I ask why you are in my room?”

Estuu stared back in disbelief. Did Brivere really consider it _their_ room again?

“Just checking up on Estuu.” Sidon lied. “But I do believe that I have other matters to attend to. Will you be meeting me in the courtroom as usual?”

“Yes, but I have some urgent news to tell my younger brother first. I will meet you as fast as possible afterwards.”

Sidon winked at Estuu before sauntering out of the room. “Excellent! In that case, I will allow you two a moment of privacy. See you in the courtroom!” And with that, the two brothers watched the large red Zora gracefully disappear around the edge of the silver entryway.

There was an awkward moment of silence as the two of them flicked their golden eyes around the room, unsure if it was appropriate or not to hold eye contact yet. Finally, Brivere cleared his throat and spoke up. “Estuu,” his older brother said softly, catching his wandering gaze. “I am deeply sorry for all I have said and done. It was extremely inappropriate and unfair for me to act in such a manner.”

Brivere was surprised when Estuu shook his head, tail wildly flopping around as he pointed his one hand at his chest. A rare smile slipped onto Brivere’s face, making the corners of Estuu’s lips tip up slightly as well. “I see. I suppose we are both at fault then?”

Estuu nodded. He wished that he could just tell his brother everything that he was feeling, but Brivere already knew him so well that there was really no point.

“In that case, I will just jump into my compensation for what has occurred. I have spoken to the royal council and they have agreed to lift the ban on your registration.” Brivere chuckled as Estuu bounced on the water bed again, arm and stump pumping in the air in victory. “Such a restriction should have never happened in the first place.”

His older brother suddenly dropped onto one knee, placing them at equal eye level. “But with this, I fully expect you to do everything within your power to try and win this. I say this not as your brother, but as the Oracle Knight who sees the raw skill and potential that you possess. Do you promise this to me, Estuu?”

Estuu didn’t even hesitate to nod back and pick up his beloved book, _The Cursed Girl._ He tapped onto the worn cover with one claw, giving Brivere the same message that he had told him on the balcony, before his older brother had tried on Prion’s choker for the first time.

_Try. Try. Try._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah it's a lead up with brother angst and drama  
> but estuu will get more badass action next chapter i swear  
> lemme know what yall think!


	4. Trials Of All Kinds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Brivere now in the new position of Oracle Knight, the need for a new Knight Captain for Prince Sidon must be determined through a tournament. Brivere is also in need of his own personal knight, but, unlike the prince, he holds a series of tests that are more focused on knowledge and intelligence rather than physical prowess. An unexpected contender joins the fight to become the first Holy Knight.
> 
> (A fanfic for the Sidlink fanfic Coma Baby by BanishedOne, a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3, and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don’t need to read the whole series to get what’s going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything! I also post all chapters on my AO3 account BunnyBob!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren’t trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

For nearly three months, Estuu spent every morning studying in the royal records hall. He would then slink off during the night, practicing another skill that everyone thought he had lost during the earthquake along with his arm.  He would even sleep in the library and often didn’t even bother going back to his shared room anymore, especially since there was no point if his older brother wasn’t there to wish him goodnight.

It wasn’t that they were fighting again. When Brivere had requested that the ban be lifted from Estuu so that he could compete in the trials, the council members only agreed on the condition that the two of them stayed separated until afterwards, in order to prevent any unfair advantages or cheating by revealing the content of the tests. They also had to agree to keep their relation to each other a secret from the other competitors, so that Estuu wouldn’t be treated differently, and so that Brivere wouldn’t be accused of favoritism.

If anything, their bond only became stronger as they realized just how much they missed the other’s presence. Estuu was determined to study and practice during every waking moment, both to not make their time apart for nothing and to secure a position where they could always be together again.

And slowly, the day of the trials finally arrived. Hundreds of participants were squeezed into the records hall and were quickly assigned to evenly spaced desks. Estuu received some accommodations that allowed him to be seated on a balcony hanging off of the second floor, keeping him far away from the chaotic crowd below. Something warm blossomed in his chest at the knowledge that his brother was probably the one who had demanded this seating arrangement.

From his perch, he silently observed his other competitors. It was obvious that nearly every Zora in attendance was from the upper class. He could easily count on his one hand the number of Undercity Zora, who nervously squirmed in their seats and stood out glaringly from their more decorated and sophisticated competitors.

Brivere’s choice of trials had received a lot of criticism from everyone, Undercity citizens in particular. They argued that opening the position to all classes regardless of bloodline meant nothing if it immediately excluded the lower class who had little to no access to a higher education. And while the Uppercity Zora were pleased to see those below them realize that they had no place in the government, they also complained that no other position at any point in the Domain’s history had used a written test to decide who was the most qualified.

His older brother had tried to explain that, while he was completely dedicated to protecting the royal family, the main purpose of the Oracle Knight was to use the ability to see the future to advise and guide them in political matters. Thus, it became clear that his personal knight would also have to be well-versed in politics and conditions in the Domain. It was never his intention to favor the Uppercity or to disregard the Undercity below them.

Estuu technically didn’t fall into either category as far as his competitors knew. Since his brother was the Oracle Knight, he had the same social standing, but since they had to keep their relation a secret, he was just plain old Estuu to everyone else. While he technically had a higher status after his mother passed away, it was only due to a loophole in the system that gained him the same nobility as his biological father, Zambezi. The old, selfish Zora had abandoned him in turn, leading Estuu to be shunned and ridiculed to the point that he may as well have been an Undercity Zora in the first place.

Eventually, his brother came out and stood in front of the crowd, with Prion’s choker shining on top of his golden body. Everyone immediately went silent, as Brivere’s intimidating presence and new status commanded respect. Even from high up, Estuu couldn’t help but admire how powerfully his older brother carried himself.

“Thank you all for coming to participate in my trials for the position of Holy Knight,” Brivere announced in a strong voice as he scanned the crowd. He quickly flicked his golden eyes up to glance at Estuu before looking away, not daring to let his gaze linger for longer than a moment. “I am aware that many of you are wondering why I have even bothered to hold these trials if I can just see the future to determine who is the most qualified among you.”

Everyone nodded and mumbled in agreement. “Then clearly, you were not listening during my initial announcement at the palace several months ago.” Brivere said simply. He meant for it to be a joke, but the lack of humor on his blank face or in his cold voice made everyone flinch instead.

“Quite simply, the future is ever-changing with every decision that we make.” he explained. “As such, I hope you have all made the right decision to study before coming here. And I hope you all truly believe that you are making the right decision to fight for the position of Holy Knight. Admittedly, I have witnessed the possibility of every single one of you winning at least once, so do not give up hope now. Please do your best and rest assured that I hold no favoritism towards any individual.”

With a nod of his head, papers were quickly passed out to every competitor. “Today, you will all be taking a series of written tests similar to ones you may have taken in school. However, these have been heavily designed to be more detail-oriented and will only increase in difficulty with each round. You will have an hour to complete the test, and when time is up, they will be collected and graded carefully by multiple workers for accuracy. The competitors with the twenty-five lowest scores will be disqualified, and we will repeat the process until only ten remain. At that point, we will move on to the final trial. For now, good luck to all of you.”

Brivere bowed and left quickly, as he wasn’t allowed to stay in the room during testing to eliminate any possible advantages he could give to a competitor, Estuu in particular.

The second that the papers were given to him, Estuu launched himself into complete focus. He carefully read the words printed on each page, circling the answer only when he was absolutely certain that it was correct.

He finished well before the signal to stop and spent the extra time double - and triple -checking his work. Luckily, he caught several mistakes that could have built up to his disqualification and quickly corrected them. Time was called and the papers were immediately collected.

After half an hour of grading, Brivere returned to announce the names of those who had the lowest scores. Noticeably, the few Undercity Zora who had come had been disqualified immediately, and they slinked off back home with disappointment clear on their scowling faces.

With a nod of his head, Brivere left as the next test was quickly passed out. This process repeated so many times that Estuu nearly lost count, completely engrossed in every paper handed to him. As the hours passed, no breaks were called, making it clear that this was also a test of mental endurance.

Just like his older brother had warned, the content became more and more difficult and broadened in focus. Questions ranged from the history of the Zora Domain to different processes in court proceedings. It became so challenging that Estuu would barely finish before time was called. On one of the tests, he even had no choice but to randomly circle answers on questions that he hadn’t read yet and pray to Hylia that they were correct.

Between each round, more and more Zora left either willingly or by disqualification, and eventually, only ten remained, Estuu miraculously included. It was no surprise that the other nine Zora were elite scholars, who all eyed him warily in confusion and disbelief.

He felt excitement bubble up in his chest as his brother reappeared through the ornate entranceway, congratulating those remaining and acknowledging their raw intelligence. Now all he had to do was defeat the other competitors in whatever the last trial entailed.

“You have all done extremely well,” Brivere said. “These tests have been carefully crafted for months, making sure that they covered every aspect of the Zora Domain. They were purposely designed to be difficult to eliminate anyone who is not fully committed to our people. No matter the outcome of this final trial, you should all be proud of what you have accomplished today.”

Although the Oracle Knight was saying it to all of them, Estuu couldn’t help but feel that it was subtly directed to himself. Determination flared up inside of him with the burning desire to turn his older brother’s words of comfort into ones of praise and awe.

“That being said, please follow me to your last test.” Brivere gestured for them to get up and the last ten Zora quickly shot out of their desks. They obediently fell into line behind the Oracle Knight, the nine other Zora complimenting Brivere and kissing tail fin while Estuu silently trailed behind them. Every scale on his body wanted to walk next to his older brother, to have some sort of acknowledgement for managing to come this far, but he held himself back. The reward would be all the more satisfying when he became the Holy Knight first.

Brivere led them out of the records hall and into the streets, where the pavement was packed with cheering Zora from all over the Domain. His competitors held their heads high with smug looks on their faces, and while _they_ may have enjoyed the attention, Estuu certainly did not. His skin crawled as he felt every eye and pointed shouts of praise press into his scales. He held back the urge to duck out of the chaos and find a quieter place to recover, but a small whine still slipped past his tightened lips. The Zora man walking in front of him looked over his shoulder and glared at Estuu, eyeing him as if he was just pond scum stuck to the bottom of his webbed feet.

They paraded through the crowded streets until they walked into one of the Domain’s many stadiums, its stone bleachers completely filled up, as if every Zora in the Domain had squeezed into the arena. Even in this situation it was easy to see the class differences as the dull colored Undercity Zora sat completely segregated from the shining Uppercity Zora, each class trying not to touch each other as they were forced to sit together for once.

Estuu hid in the large shadow of the Zora man in front of him, trying to avoid everyone’s stares and cheers as the competitors were led to the center of the arena. They all stood in a straight line in the middle of a large, circular stone platform, the smooth edges stopping to reveal a moat surrounding it. Months of studying told him that the arena was most likely water-based and likely contained a huge, cavernous dome of water right underneath their feet.

He noticed the nine other competitors slowly lose their confidence and become uneasy as the implied purpose of their location slowly dawned on them.

Brivere seemed to catch onto their nervousness as well. “Is something wrong?”

“With all due respect, Oracle Knight,” one woman said quickly, “you cannot seriously expect us to battle it out against one another! In your initial declaration of the trials, you even said that we wouldn’t be tested for physical strength!”

Brivere stared at her with a hard look in his eyes, making her tremble in place. “Then clearly you weren’t listening.” he said, this time not as a joke. “I said that those who underwent the trials wouldn’t be tested _solely_ for physical strength. A personal knight who works for me must have good intellect and knowledge, surely, but at the end of the day they are still a _knight_. It should have been clear that something like this would occur.”

One of the other scholars stepped forward with a desperate plea in his eyes. “But sir, most of us have never even held a weapon before! We have been studying and educating ourselves for most of our lives!”

“Then perhaps you should have thought about that before you decided to get in over your heads and try to weasel into the role of a KNIGHT solely for the status and bragging rights.”

Estuu noticed that his other competitors flinched at this, his older brother’s words hitting their mark. Clearly, this was true, and even the spectators filling the stands had caught on. Now, the Undercity Zora were hooting and hollering, absolutely thrilled to see a bunch of spoiled upper-class scholars beat the living shit out of each other.

His older brother’s indifferent mask hardened. “Are there any MORE excuses before we start?”

The others shuffled their feet, trying to find a way out of this without losing their pride. While they weren’t strong, they were at least clever, and one of them finally spoke up. It was the man who had glared at Estuu in line as they walked to the arena. “What about _him_?” he asked, pointing at Estuu.

Brivere’s brow raised. “What about him?”

Even Estuu was confused. He didn’t think that he had done anything to disqualify himself from the round already.

The other man stepped forward with a smug smile, confident that he had the key to calling this whole thing off. “You are going to make this poor, handicapped boy fight against us? He is missing half of his arm, for Hylia’s sake! I also observed him during the written tests and it was obvious that there is something wrong with him mentally!”

Estuu felt the heat rise in his chest as the other competitors nodded along. Even the audience seemed to believe the man, looking at each other as if asking if this final showdown was actually still a good idea.

He scowled at the man who had spoken up, but it was his older brother’s deadly glare that actually made the other Zora flinch. “Apologize.” Brivere commanded through gritted, sharp teeth.

The smirk was completely wiped off of the man’s face, replaced entirely by fear. “I-I beg your pardon?”

“That _boy_ happens to be my younger brother,” Brivere spat, “who is more than capable of taking all of you down. He is the one who shot out Captain Betaal’s eye.”

The Zora man who had spoken up paled completely at this, as did the rest of the competitors. They all jumped back from Estuu as if he already had an arrow pointed to their heads. The man who had slandered him was now repeatedly bowing to Brivere, babbling apologies. “I am so, so sorry, oh great and powerful Oracle Knight! I am so sorry, I had no idea of your relation to one other, really I was just worried for his safety, oh I beg you _please_ do not tell my mother about this-”

“Apologize to _him_ , not me.”

He jumped and shouted “Y-yes, Mr. Oracle Knight, sir!” The other Zora finally turned to Estuu, mumbling the same apologies while bending his body in an awkward bow. He just stared back and the other man had no idea how he hadn’t realized that the two were related when they had the exact same resting bitch face.

“With all of the complaining that has been occurring, I will show you all some mercy. If any of you wish to leave before we begin, you are more than welcome to do so. However, this will be your only chance.” his older brother said curtly. “Once the battle begins you will not be allowed to leave until you are dismissed. I am aware that you may all be hesitant to leave due to your pride, but if you are having doubts _now_ , then there is no way that you will survive as my Holy Knight. Please remove yourself, not for your own sake, but for the sake of the Domain and its citizens that I am trying to protect.”

After a moment of hesitation, four Zoras eventually stepped out, walking towards the exit while hiding their faces behind their hands as the crowd booed them out of the stadium. Estuu was pleased to see that the Zora man who had insulted him was now scurrying out of the arena like a coward, but also felt disappointed that he wouldn't get the chance to completely annihilate that slanderous weakling.

With a nod to a soldier standing off to the side, a rack of weapons was pushed towards the remaining competitors who, aside from Estuu, were extremely nervous and even shaking in place. They gawked at the wide variety of spears, bows, swords, and practically every instrument of war under the sun presented before them. Completely overwhelmed with having to wield a weapon that they had only seen in their studies before, all of them scrambled to get a spear, to no one’s surprise. It was the most common weapon used by Zora soldiers and even the most inexperienced of the scholars could figure out how to wildly swing it around.

What completely shocked everyone, even Brivere, was when Estuu calmly stepped forward and selected the bow and arrow with his one functioning arm. He then pulled Link’s gift out of his rucksack and strapped the strange contraption onto his severed elbow. It was a simple metal hook that he could snap the bow onto while loading and firing arrows with his only hand. His Hylian friend had secretly given it to him before he left to fight the Calamity, since his older brother definitely wouldn’t approve of it. Excitement bubbled up inside of Estuu at the chance to finally show off the results of his training with the new enhancement on his severed arm.

He absolutely loved it. It made him feel whole again, allowing him to regain a strength of his that he thought he had permanently lost in the earthquake.

Shaking off his surprise, Brivere looked over the remaining six competitors. “Now that you all have your weapons, are there any more qualms that must be settled before we begin?”

He sensed the hesitation on the other competitor’s faces as they all glanced at the youngest amongst them. “While Estuu _is_ my brother by blood, I have given him no advantage over the course of these trials. That is why we kept his relation to me a secret, so that he would be treated the same as the rest of you. Do not worry about me if you should attack him, for I was well aware of what he was getting into before these trials even began. None of you will get in trouble for striking him.”

This eased some of the apprehension in the other competitors, who were still a bit bothered at the fact that they were supposed to fight a child. But the guilt quickly subsided at the thought of winning both such a prestigious position and the respect of their peers and families.

With this, the six Zoras in the arena strode over to different sides of the platform. Brivere lifted his hand, waiting for all of them to turn and face each other. He only snapped his arm down and started the fight when they each had their weapons raised.

“BEGIN!”

Estuu immediately darted off to the side, quickly diving into the water surrounding the platform before any of his competitors could even move an inch. None of them dared to follow, knowing that the tiny Zora would be too nimble to catch and that they were barely even able to use their spears _outside_ of the water. Instead, they all stood in place, hands clumsily clutching onto their weapons as they dared one another to make the first move.

Estuu swam down, trying to ignore the itchy feeling on his scales as every eye in the crowd zeroed in on him. The water was contained within a glass dome, distorting the Zora who were watching just outside of it. Once he reached the bottom of the arena, he adjusted himself so that his feet were flat against the smooth gemstone.

Crouching, Estuu launched himself off of the floor, rocketing through the water and picking up speed as his body swam faster and faster.

Everyone stared in awe as the tiny Zora suddenly reappeared, shooting through the sky after crashing out of the water. He flipped mid-air, quickly reorienting himself so that the new addition to his severed arm had the bow pointed at the first competitor that he saw. With his only hand, he quickly nocked an arrow and let it fly.

It shot directly at his target, embedding its sharp edge into her upper thigh. She screamed and collapsed to the floor, clutching at her leg. The crowd went wild, booing her for being taken out so easily. One particularly bold Undercity Zora hollered out “PUSSY!” making everyone else burst into shrieking laughter. The chaos made Estuu’s landing go unnoticed by his other competitors.

“Odonta of the Spidae family!” Brivere barked harshly. “You are disqualified and dismissed.”

A group of healers rushed out to put her on a stretcher, avoiding getting in the way of the other competitors as they hauled her out of the arena. One Zora man finally noticed Estuu and, in fear, charged at the younger Zora, screaming with his spear raised.

Estuu didn’t even hesitate to raise his bow and shoot several arrows at him, the first one missing completely and the others being more accurate. To the other Zora’s credit, his stride didn’t falter, and surprisingly, he continued to run at Estuu even as arrows pierced his body. He only stopped when Estuu reeled his bow back and slammed the hard metal across his opponent’s face, snapping his head to the side and knocking him out instantly.  

“Notus of the Centrina family! You are disqualified and dismissed.”

The same healers from earlier quickly picked him up on a stretcher and disappeared through the arena’s entryway. Estuu was apparently a crowd favorite now, and it took him a moment to realize that the crowd’s chant of “RO-SY! RO-SY!” was referring to his own scales.

While they weren’t the most physically adept, his other competitors were smart enough to notice how shaken Estuu was by the sudden change in volume. Even Brivere wanted to rush into the arena and check on his brother but he knew how inappropriate that would be in this situation.

The remaining three competitors looked at each other with a silent truce forming between them. They all rushed forward suddenly, taking advantage of Estuu’s weak state and screaming loudly to make it even worse.

Estuu reflexively covered his ears only to be completely blindsided by a spear that slammed into his side. A strangled screech clawed out of his throat as he was knocked onto the ground.

If his competitors had been even a _bit_ more experienced with their weapons, that would have been the end of it. Luckily for him, the spear in question wasn’t swung hard enough and even shifted as hit his body. It was just the sheer difference in size as tiny Estuu squared off against these fully-grown Zora that was the problem.

He quickly rolled off the side of the platform and into the water, swimming around to the other side of the arena to put distance between himself and his other competitors. Only _then_ did he realize that, in his haste, he had accidentally left his only weapon behind, rendering the quiver of arrows still strapped onto his back useless.

One Zora woman quickly snatched up the bow and sneered as she waved it at Estuu. To his horror, she smashed it onto the floor, snapping it cleanly in half and tossing it towards him with a laugh.

Something inside of him started to boil with an intense feeling that he couldn’t describe, tearing at his mind and driving him wild. With a deadly glare, he jumped out of the water and picked up his broken bow, the metal part of it only held together by its drawstring.

Not seeing him as a threat anymore, the other woman confidently ran at him with her spear aimed at his head. He held one metal piece in his hand, swinging it on the taut drawstring, and lashed out at her with a hellish fury. The hard silver smacked into her face and her charge immediately faltered out of shock. She reflexively covered her face as Estuu closed the distance between them, repeatedly striking her with the metal part of his broken bow until she was covered in bleeding bruises. When she crumpled to the ground and held her hands up in surrender, the crowd burst into cheers and Brivere looked on, completely blown away. He almost forgot to announce her defeat and hurriedly cleared his throat, shouting “Quatina of the Chordan family! You are disqualified and dismissed!”

The last two competitors gaped at Estuu as if he was a Lynel, completely frozen in place as the healers scurried past to pick up the fallen woman. Before they were even able to put her on the stretcher, Estuu launched himself towards the competitor closest to him, holding one broken piece of his bow in his hand and in the metal hook, pulling the string taut.

The poor Zora man he was charging at didn’t even have time to react as Estuu plowed the drawstring into his stubby legs, knocking him down. Before he could look up and try to protect himself, the string was suddenly wrapped around his throat, and Estuu pulled, _hard._

A strangled scream erupted out of the man’s throat as he clawed at Estuu, who was smart enough to stand behind him, out of arms reach. The other competitor stepped forward to help her fallen comrade, but the deadly look in the younger Zora’s unflinching gaze kept her anchored in place. Estuu didn’t even break eye contact as the man squirming in his arms suddenly went limp or when the healers had to force him away in order to pick up the passed-out Zora into their arms, as Quatina was still on the stretcher a few feet from them.

“John of the Killedamanonce family! You are disqualified and dismissed.”

As the healers carried the man off in a hurry, they accidentally took Estuu’s bow with them, since it was still tangled around the other Zora’s neck. This was of little consolation to the last competitor, who shuddered in place as she clutched onto the spear in her hands for dear life.

Estuu snarled at her and reached back to pull out one of his arrows in his quiver. When he ran at her, arrow threateningly raised above his head, she dove to the side and slid across the floor. Because of the way she instantly crumpled into a ball and clutched at her head, she didn’t notice the young Zora dive into the water behind her.

Her heavy breathing was the only thing she could hear over the pounding of her heart viciously thumping in her chest. She shut her eyes, hoping for all of this to be over with quickly. And by Hylia’s grace it was, for it didn’t take long for Estuu to silently launch out of the water and slam onto her, jamming the arrow into her arm instead of her head, in a show of mercy.  

“Cachara of the Niformes family! You are dismissed and disqualified!”

By the time Estuu stood up to address the roaring crowd, the woman had already passed out under him. He didn’t know if it was out of shock or pain, or if she was already gone before he even came out of the water, but it didn’t matter. As the adrenaline quickly subsided, his senses were completely taken over by the cheers and thunderous applause that shook the entire stadium.

Estuu crumpled to the ground and whined, clawing at his head as he tried to block out the intense noise around him. He didn’t care that the cheers turned into shouts of worry, or even that his brother quickly announced that Estuu had won before jumping into the ring and running over to him.

“Estuu!” Brivere called out in a steady voice as he tried to get his younger brother’s attention. “I know it is difficult, but please come with me. I will only pick you up if necessary.”

Smacking his tail against his back, Estuu shook his head and staggered onto his feet. If his brother touched him now, he would definitely lose it. Brivere simply gestured for him to follow, keeping a good distance between the two of them while hovering a protective hand over his small back as they rushed out of the arena.

The crowd was suddenly left with an empty battle ground as they looked at each other in confusion. Usually such tournaments would end with much fanfare and celebration, and so they didn’t know what to do when this one ended so abruptly.

The two brothers didn’t make it very far. Estuu ended up collapsing onto the ground just outside of the arena. And although Brivere hated doing it, he had to drag the younger Zora into an ally off to the side. Estuu naturally fought against his grasp, his beloved brother’s hands feeling like molten metal that was branding itself into his scales. It was a struggle, but eventually both of them were slumped against a wall in the ally, panting for breath.

And then the meltdown got worse.

Hot tears flowed down Estuu’s face, startling Brivere. No matter how upset his little brother had gotten before, he rarely cried. The tears were clearly only aggravating him further as he hated how sticky they felt as they clung to his cheeks. Not only that, but he despised how he was suddenly crumbling back into a weak, helpless child after working so hard to prove to everyone that he wasn’t. All he wanted to do was show the rest of the world that his life had worth, even if he wasn’t like everyone else both mentally and physically. That he still had value, even when everything and everyone else said otherwise. That he was strong and capable.

Even if he wasn’t anything like his amazing older brother.

Brivere gently knelt down in front of Estuu, gazing at him with soft, golden eyes. His older brother just heavily breathed in and out as he whispered words of assurance. The quiet, steady noise was actually welcome, and Estuu had no idea how long both of them had sat there until his panting breaths eventually matched his brother’s slow ones.

The golden Zora fought back the natural urge to hold his younger brother in his arms and rock him back and forth. Even though Brivere was comforted by such gestures, he knew that it would just send Estuu back over the edge. Instead, he checked over his younger brother’s wounds, which were luckily minimal, due to the amazing fighting ability that he had displayed just moments ago. Brivere tried to come up with something deep and clever to say, but the knight had always hated beating around the bush. Finally, he settled on the most concise but true words he could muster.

“Estuu. I am so proud of you.”

The young Zora tilted his head up to look at his older brother in shock. How could he say that? After he had humiliated Brivere in front of all of those people, especially after his older brother had just gained more power and respect than ever before?

Estuu shook his head and smacked his tail wildly against his back. A whine writhed around in his chest as he clawed at his brother, trying to tell him how wrong he was. He hated how weak he was, unable to even speak such simple words to his only family.

Still, Brivere easily caught on. A soft titter came from his older brother as he reached into Estuu’s rucksack, which he had managed to bring with him when they had left the arena in a hurry. He reached in and pulled out _The Cursed Girl_ , Estuu’s favorite book. Gingerly, he opened it and began to quickly flip through the pages, much to the younger Zora’s confusion. His hiccupped sobs subsided as he watched his brother scan the old pages, clearly looking for something.

If it were him, he could have found whatever excerpt that Brivere was looking for in an instant. He had read the book so many times that every single word was permanently burned into his mind. Still, he patiently sat back as he inwardly giggled at how pinched his older brother’s face became due to intense concentration.

Finally, after the sun had noticeably crawled a bit across the sky, Brivere held the book up to Estuu’s face in triumph. A single clawed finger tapped on a short passage. Even though he had spent so long looking for it, Estuu only had to glance at the page to know what Brivere was pointing at.

_Lorelei reached out, taking the stern general’s hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I don’t care about what anyone else says,” the sickly, pale Zora spoke, perhaps unable to stand for very much longer, unless the other woman remained by her side. “You matter to me, so none of that matters at all.”_

A smile tugged at the corners of Brivere’s lips as he looked at the realization that dawned on Estuu’s face. “Lorelei and General Kita have a romantic relationship, so the quote isn’t the most appropriate.” he pointed out, certain that his brother _still_ didn’t understand the strong ‘friendship’ between the two Zoras in the story. “But it is the only one that I believe summarizes us so well.”

He had said the exact same thing when Estuu had shown him that very scene a long time ago. It had to have been over a year at this point, but it still haunted Estuu even to this day. His older brother had been weak and dying from the Water Blight in their own home before it collapsed, refusing anyone’s love, refusing anyone’s care, believing that he was completely worthless and deserving of death. But all they had was each other. So Estuu had shown him the quote and convinced him otherwise.

And now, his older brother was just returning the favor.

Estuu’s tail was flapping with delight as a rare smiled pulled at his taut lips. Brivere chuckled and got back onto his feet. “Let us return to the palace, yes? I believe there is still more things we must do now that you have won. But it will all be worth it for the honor of calling you my Holy Knight.”

Nodding, Estuu got up as well. The two brother’s quietly walked side by side down the winding streets of the Domain, close enough for comfort, but not enough to touch.

And they wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, no matter what anyone else said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is honestly my favorite chapter, I want Estuu to love himself so fuckin badly and I guess i made it to prove to himself that he's still capable. Like I have an autistic family member and other friends, and also some who have lost a part of their body, and I have heard so much about how incomplete they feel and so Estuu's story hits me HARD in coma baby. So here's a badass Estuu to make him feel better


	5. Of Visors and Visions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soon after awakening his ability to see the future, Brivere’s body begins changing in order to adjust to his new power. So instead of asking for help like a normal Zora, he does the most Brivere thing possible and goes completely out of his way to hide it.
> 
> (A fic for the sidlink fic Coma Baby, a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne, and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It's a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don't need to read the whole series to get what's going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> My tumblr is bunnyb0b! I post memes and fics for Coma Baby there, you can chat with me any time about anything!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren't trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

Dento rarely looked up from his smith work when customers came in, but today he was forced to when a golden Zora slipped several drawings onto the desk next to him.

“What is this?” he grunted, examining the papers that seemed to be ripped out of a book due to their torn edges. They all depicted some sort of shield that he didn’t recognize, showing different designs but all sharing the same trait of being a curved sheet of metal with several slits evenly cut into it. However, it was definitely too small to protect the entire body, especially as it was shown only covering the upper half of a Hylian’s head.

“This is what Hylian’s call a visor.” Brivere explained. “It is usually used as armor for their knights, and from my research, not many other races use it.”

Dento raised his brow. “And you wish for me to make one?”

Nodding, Brivere held up a bulging rupee pouch. “I would be grateful if you could. I will pay whatever is needed, but please do not get too carried away. It simply has to cover my eyes, so I am not too concerned about the design.”

“May I ask why you need such an odd piece of armor? I have never had to make something like this for anyone else.”

“That…” Brivere cringed. “Is a personal matter, I am afraid. But I can assure you that it is very necessary. When can I expect it to be done?”

Dento stared at him for an uncomfortably long time, saying nothing. The knight slowly became worried that the old Zora would refuse the commission, but he soon realized that Dento was probably just mentally measuring his head. “I’d say about a week, since I have other projects to finish first. But if you pay 600 upfront, I could easily have it done by tomorrow.”

Brivere didn’t even hesitate to hold out two golden rupees. “I will see you soon then.” Dento nodded, taking the rupees and pocketing them as he set aside his previous project. By the time Brivere turned to leave, the older Zora had already begun to work on the visor.

The second he stepped outside of the smithy, Brivere’s eyes burned in the bright sunlight. He squinted and held his hand over his face, barely alleviating the irritation.

Even though he had only awakened his ability to see the future just a few weeks ago, his body had already begun to change in order to adjust to it. Most of his ailments weren’t physically noticeable, like how he needed to sleep more often or had a sudden increase in headaches.

But the one thing that _was_ actually noticeable was his eyes. They were much more sensitive now, flaring up at the smallest amount of light or wind that came his way. His pupils would sometimes blow out until his eyes were completely black, and when he examined them in the mirror, he was horrified to see that they sometimes contained different colors or details than his usual solid gold.

Of course, he wasn’t going to tell anyone else about his eyes. Even his time being sick with the Water Blight hadn’t taught the stubborn Zora how to ask for help. He had convinced himself long ago that his eyes would eventually fix themselves, just like how his headaches were becoming less frequent. Still, it didn't hurt to find a temporary solution, and a couple days of research in the library had resulted in the idea of the Hylian visor. But deep down, he knew that he was really just afraid to worry his prince, who usually blew things out of proportion.

Speaking of the devil, the prince popped out from around the corner, completely startling the knight. He quickly snapped his hand down from his face and fully opened his eyes, ignoring the intense stinging sensation that followed.

"Brivere!" Sidon called out with his usual wide grin. "Have you finished your errand?"

"Yes, my Lord. I apologize, but I must come here again tomorrow to retrieve something. For now, we should go back to the palace."

With an enthusiastic nod, Sidon led the way, not noticing how his knight immediately squinted once his back was turned.

;

Brivere turned the visor over in his hands. Even with his eyes nearly shut, he could still see the unfathomable craftsmanship that went into it. He had told Dento not to go all out, but clearly the old Zora's pride refused to make anything less than absolutely stunning.

Just like a Hylian mask, it was curved, and with several holes cut into it, but the similarities stopped there. The silver metal was finely twisted and shaped in intricate ways that showed off traditional Zora designs, while still leaving enough slits for proper vision. Several blue gemstones were lined up on the edges, increasing in size as they trailed to the center. Strangely, a few chains connected it to another loom of metal, which Brivere was certain wasn't in the pictures that he had provided.

"Are you going to wear it now, or are you going to continue wasting my time?" Dento teased. Sheepishly, Brivere lifted it up to his face only to realize that he had absolutely no idea how to actually put it on. He hesitated, unsure if he should just cave and ask for assistance, but the older Zora quickly caught on and shuffled over to him.

His old, calloused hands lifted the visor out of Brivere's grasp. "I'm only going to teach you how to do this once, so pay attention.”

Brivere nodded his head quickly and held still to let Dento slip it over his eyes. That part was easy enough, and the old Zora then slowly clicked the chains and loom over Brivere's head tail, tucking them under his long forefins. Since Hylian and Zora anatomy were so different, the strange addition was completely necessary.

Brivere blinked, opening his eyes and instantly letting out a sigh of relief. The visor was definitely doing its job, blocking out most of the sunlight while still letting him see. It was also surprisingly very lightweight and comfortable, despite its complicated metal design.

Turning to Dento, he reached his hand into his rupee pouch. "I am extremely grateful for this. How much do I owe you?"

Dento hummed, proudly examining his work. "It's on the house."

Brivere gawked at him through the visor. "While I am thankful for the kind gesture, I simply cannot accept. Although I may be the Oracle Knight, I have no intention to use my status to swindle people out of their hard work."

"It's not that, really, but I'm glad that you aren't like the other nobles." Dento snorted. "It’s just extremely clear that you needed it, from the way you quickly paid so much up front and now relaxed once it was on. Plus, it was pretty interesting to make, so consider it yours free of charge."

Pausing, Brivere quickly threw a large handful of gold rupees onto the table and rushed out of the shop. "Consider it a tip!" he called over his shoulder to the laughing smith.

Brivere rushed through the market place, ignoring the curious stares of other Zora as he jogged by. He had excused himself from some work obligations with Sidon to "run an errand" so he wanted to avoid wasting more time. But, he was relieved to see that the visor continued to do its work by blocking out the breeze that flew by as he ran. It also only covered the upper half of his face, so he could easily pant for breath as he sped over to the palace.

Even with his new future seeing abilities, Brivere hadn’t expected to see the Hylian Champion standing with the Prince in front of Mipha's statue. The last time he had seen Link was when the hero had headed off on his crazy horse to fight the Calamity in an uncertain fight to the death. For a long time, the only thing that he and Sidon could do was pray that Link would win, not just to save all of Hyrule but also to return to them _alive_.

And now here he was, laughing in Sidon’s arms as the prince spun him around excitedly, shouting words of congratulations and relief. Their tearful reunion led them to not notice Brivere as he jogged towards them, which, in his opinion, was for the better. It allowed him enough time to contain his excitement and regain his composure.

The thought of losing his dignity was the only thing that held back Brivere’s desire to tackle Link into a hug, and he eventually settled on standing with a professional posture used to greet war heroes and those who held a higher status than him. Finally, the two of them noticed Brivere, and Sidon quickly put the Hylian down. The prince raised his brow and opened his mouth to comment on Brivere's new armor piece, but Link beat him to it. "Woah, that's pretty cool!" he whistled.

Brivere rolled his eyes, not realizing that it couldn't be seen by the Hylian. "Greetings to you too, Hylian Champion. It is not as if we have not seen you in over three months since you left to defeat the Calamity and we did not even know if you had died or not until we got a letter from Princess Zelda herself.”

“Sorry about that, I’ve been busy helping her rebuild the kingdom.” A wide smirk stretched against Link's face. "Awe, did you want to hear me say hello first?"

"It would have been appreciated, yes."

"Well then hello, Oracle Knight Brivere!" he tittered, giving an over exaggerated bow.

Brivere groaned and turned to Sidon. "Were you the one to tell him of my new title?"

"Well yes, since it is a pretty big deal and he was not present when it happened." the prince chuckled. "But never mind that, what is the metal on your face?"

Brivere flushed. "Does... It not look good?"

"No, no, no!" Sidon said, waving his hands in assurance. "It looks absolutely beautiful on you. But to be quite honest, I have no idea what it is."

Panicking, Brivere realized that he didn't know what to say without having to explain the strange condition of his eyes. Luckily, Link spoke up in his place. "It's a visor, Sidon. I've usually seen it with Hylian knight armor, but never really on other races." He looked Brivere up and down. "Did you get it because of your new title?"

Brivere nodded, silently thanking Hylia for the brilliant cover up. "Yes, I got it to celebrate my new position. Perhaps I will pass it down to the next generation and make it a family heirloom."

Sidon grinned. "I'm sure your future descendants will be honored to have it. For now, shall we go to the barracks and oversee the training?" Link and Brivere nodded, allowing the prince to lead the way.

;

They had been helping train soldiers for a few days now. Link had said that he didn't have much else to do, and so he could probably stay in the domain for a few months before having to head out again. Instead, he took the opportunity to beat the living hell out of the new recruits, teaching them "valuable lessons," whether they wanted them or not.

On the first day, everyone had seemed distracted by Brivere's new visor, each Zora stopping to stare at it. He and Link had had to explain over and over again that it was for protection and was really just another piece of armor. Luckily, the soldiers had easily accepted the answer and didn't push any further.

That is, of course, except for Betaal.

The Undercity captain had come back from Fort Boko to fight for the position of Knight Captain. Brivere’s own trials for a personal knight had just finished a little over a week ago, with Estuu as the victor. He was currently being questioned by the royal council to make sure that he received no help or favor from his older brother. And Estuu definitely hadn’t, since Brivere wanted him to become the Holy Knight on his own accord. The trial was taking longer than usual because Estuu didn’t speak and had a hard time communicating. It definitely would have been over with by now if Brivere had been allowed to translate, as he was pretty much the only one who could understand and calm down the younger Zora, but, obviously, this would have been counterproductive to the hearing’s purpose. He could only hope that Estuu was holding up fine on his own.

Betaal was in the barracks to train for Sidon’s tournament, which would start in a few days, but she seemed to also have another agenda. It was clear by the way that she glared at Brivere from across the training hall and how she often viciously whispered to the other soldiers whenever he was around. Now everyone seemed to approach him with hesitation, as if he was another snobby elite that thought he was above them.

Brivere didn't let it get to him, already used to such treatment from before he had awakened his abilities. It just seemed to be working in reverse now, with people raising him up too high, rather than putting him down.

When he heard another one of Betaal's furious whispers right behind him, Brivere suddenly became thankful for his visor. It completely blocked anyone from seeing the way his eye twitched out of annoyance. Okay, maybe he was _slightly_ bothered by her actions, but he'd be damned if he gave her the satisfaction of seeing it.

This mentality had completely flown out of the window by dinner time.

Sidon and Link were still in the training room, helping put away the weapons that the soldiers had used earlier. They had insisted that Brivere head over to dinner first, clearly sensing that he had another headache due to his abilities. He had only relented after they had assured him that they would follow once they were done.

Stepping into the dining hall, Brivere greeted a few soldiers before falling in line to get a simple plate of fish. He sat down at the only empty table near the wall, intending to save a few seats for Sidon and Link. A couple bites of the salmon eased his headache, but even as he ate, he still refused to take off the visor.

Because of it, Brivere didn't notice that Betaal was standing right in front of his table with her arms crossed. She had to clear her throat for him to finally realize and look up at her.

"Captain Betaal," he said, quickly swallowing his food. "I apologize, I did not see you there at first."

She snarled back. "Sure."

The usual buzz of conversation in the dining hall died down as everyone watched the tense exchange.

Brivere raised his brow as she continued to stand there, still forgetting that she wouldn't be able to see the movement from under his visor. "Is there something you wish to ask of me?"

"Yes," she said, sarcastically. "I just wanted to know what we did to be graced by the presence of the oh so great Oracle Knight Brivere." A couple snickers came from the other tables.

"…I beg your pardon?"

“Is there a problem? I'm just calling you by the title so graciously shown off by that visor of yours. I wonder how much of our taxes went into paying for it." She suddenly let out an over dramatic gasp, hand flying to her heart. "Or did you demand Dento to hand it over for free?"

His mask was colder than ever. "No. I paid for it all out of my own pocket."

"Well, I'm happy that the new position you gave yourself pays so much then!”

He tried to push down the rising heat in his chest. "I do not get paid more than my previous role as Knight Captain. I have always had a large saving of rupees in case of emergency, and this visor became very necessary."

"Oh, I'm sure." Betaal said, rolling her one functioning eye. "The pompous and over-dramatic design _really_ screams ‘necessity’."

"I had no control over that. I simply told Dento that I needed one, and this is what he gave back to me. I am honored to have one of his works protect me."

The Undercity warrior threw her hands in the air, exasperated. "Do you seriously expect anyone here to buy that excuse? None of us have ever used visors to protect ourselves, and we’ve been doing just fine! It’s completely ridiculous for you to suddenly _‘need’_ one."

"It is not as if it is hurting anyone.” Brivere was trying, but slowly failing, to keep his voice steady. “It is only serving as a little extra protection to me. I genuinely do not understand why you are so upset."

"My problem," she spat, "Is that you think you're so high and mighty now that you've made up some fancy new position to give yourself even more power than before. My _problem_ is all of you upper city Zoras who can't seem to stop flaunting around their wealth and status keep acting like you're better than us!"

Brivere grit his teeth. "Do not assume what my thoughts are. I can assure you that I have never felt that way, and I never will. This visor only serves a functional purpose, nothing more."

"Keep telling yourself that, because the rest of us will never believe it." she scoffed. The eavesdropping crowd around them murmured in agreement.

It felt like he was fighting a stone wall, and somehow the wall was winning. Brivere let out a strangled growl as he gripped the table. "I am tired of your lies and slander. I intend to fully set the record straight, if only to show how extremely mislead you have become. Do you really want to know the true purpose of this visor?"

Betaal smirked, triumphant. "Yes, oh great and powerful Oracle Knight."

"Fine." Brivere spat, slamming his hands down onto the table. He rose to his feet, unintentionally towering over Betaal, who didn't even flinch. She only jumped back when he finally lifted his visor, exposing his eyes.

Because he had been too afraid to look in the mirror ever since he had donned the visor, Brivere didn't realize just how much worse his condition had gotten. Neither of his eyes were the standard Zora gold anymore, now bloodshot and randomly twitching. Instead, his left eye had recurring rings of purple, white, and yellow, and his right eye was completely blacked out with gold lines that seemed to float around in his iris. The white skin of the upper half of his face had a sickly light blue blush that darkened around his cheeks.

Everyone at the nearby tables gawked at him while those further away piled up behind them, trying to see what was happening. However, he didn't even care that all of the dining hall now knew his secret, as he was completely focused on the undercity captain in front of him.

"Dear Hylia!" Betaal shrieked. "What is wrong with your eyes?!"

Brivere snarled at her. His eyes narrowed, but she couldn't tell if it was out of pain or anger. " _This_ is the result of my future seeing abilities. _This_ is why I have been wearing the visor this whole time, because even the smallest amount of light or wind causes me immense pain. _This_ is why I have been trying to hide it, for I am well aware of how freakish it is and did not want to draw attention to myself."

Realization smashed into Betaal like a tidal wave. "Brivere... I am so sorry."

Brivere sighed and sat back down, snapping the visor back over his eyes. "It is fine. I am sorry for speaking out of turn." After a pause, he looked back up at her through the metal slits. "But I do wish that you would stop assuming things of me. I am well aware of the strain between you and my brother because of the incident with your eye and his arrow, but I assure you that I never put him up to it."

He sensed Betaal's wariness before continuing. "You have seen me fight all of these years. You know that I would never stoop so low and use such cheap tactics. If I want something, I intend to work hard for it, not to sabotage others who desire the same thing."

Brivere paused. "I also wish to assure you that the position I created for myself was not out of a lust for power, as you have been telling everyone else." Betaal winced at that. "Rather, my ability to sense the future has told me that all descendants of mine will have the same gift. I made the position to pledge my bloodline's loyalty and servitude to the royal family, nothing more."

Betaal hesitated, unsure if she could trust him. "You are speaking the truth?"

Brivere nodded in reply. "I have spent too long being tormented by the people who have held too much power over my life. I have no desire to turn into a corrupted creature like one of them."

A newfound wave of respect washed over Betaal's face. She suddenly remembered the crowd that had formed around them. "Hey!" She barked, turning to scan the soldiers with her one good eye. "The rest of you, continue your meals or else I'll pit you against the Hylian Champion and then myself when we start training once more!"

This immediately made all of the soldiers scramble back to their seats, shoving food in their mouths as if their lives depended on it. Betaal smirked, but softened her look as she glanced at Brivere. She slowly sat in the chair across from him, and the two of them sat in an awkward yet comfortable silence.

That is, until they realized that Prince Sidon was standing in the entranceway with his arms crossed and a rare scowl on his face.

"Brivere!" He snapped. Everyone in the room flinched at the edge in his voice, not used to this side of the usually upbeat Prince. Betaal flashed Brivere an apologetic look as he shot out his seat and quickly dashed over to the entryway.

He didn't expect Sidon to roughly grab him by the arm and drag him down the hall. He also didn't expect to see Link, who was apparently standing right behind him, with the same scowl on his face.

Since everyone was eating in the dining hall, no one interrupted the strange trio as Sidon led them through a winding series of halls. Even Brivere had no idea where he was when the Prince eventually stopped in an empty room, ushering him to sit on the only chair within it.

"M-my Lord, why-"

Brivere's question was cut off by Sidon's glare. His large red hands quickly flipped up the visor, eyes widening in shock as he stared at what was underneath. Behind him, Link groaned, covering his shaking head with his hands.

"Brivere." the prince said in a tight voice. "Why didn't you tell me, no, _anyone_ , about this sooner?"

The golden knight uncomfortably shrank in his seat, squirming at the thought that Link and Sidon were mad at him. Before he could stop his thoughts, they quickly rolled off of his tongue and into the open air. "I apologize, I thought it just came with my abilities and that it would fix itself. I did not think it was that bad."

Link threw his hands up in the air, face red with fury. "Not that bad?! Have you even looked in a mirror, Brivere? For Hylia’s sake, it's clearly unnatural!"

Brivere closed his eyes, both out of pain and to try to keep his composure. "I am aware. I am sorry to have caused a disturbance. I never wanted to worry either of you."

The sound of a pitiful squeak from Sidon made Brivere's eyes snap open. His heart completely dropped when he saw the tears rolling down the prince's cheeks. "Brivere," his lover said in a low voice barely above a whisper. "You worried us so much. We went to the dining hall expecting to just enjoy a meal with you, but instead we walked in on you confessing how much pain you were in this whole time. Your eyes... they're extremely troubling, my sun."

A frustrated grunt came from behind the prince, and Brivere looked over, horrified to see Link's watery eyes. While Sidon was naturally very emotional, the Hylian was much more reserved. "Brivere, you shouldn't hide such things from us, or anyone, really! What if this is a sign that you're over-using your abilities? What if this doesn't go away?! What if..." Link paused, angrily swiping at his face. "...what if it's a warning that something is seriously wrong, and we only found out after you had died?"

Brivere's emotionless mask was cracking. "I am so sorry." he whimpered in a trembling voice. "I did not think of how this would affect the two of you."

Sidon shook his head, a sad chuckle escaping him. "No, Brivere, this isn't about us. This is about how _you_ need to work on asking for help. You can't do everything on your own."

A weak smile tugged at his taut lips. "But the Hylian Champion took on the Calamity single-handedly."

Link scoffed at that. "First off, I never would have defeated him without Princess Zelda. Second, I was only strong enough to even attempt it after nearly a year of preparation and help from so many people across Hyrule. Third, my motivation was returning to you and Sidon, _both_ of you, _safe_.”

The Hylian stepped forward and jabbed a finger into Brivere’s chest. “You being a jackass and getting yourself killed from something preventable would completely ruin that."

The three of them collectively let out a deep sigh, chuckling as they wiped away their tears. "We will head out immediately to the medical bay and see if any of the healers know anything about your condition. If not, we will try and seek help from outside of the Domain." Sidon said, leaving no room for argument.

Brivere reluctantly nodded. "I apologize for the trouble."

Link rolled his eyes. "Brivere, don't think so little of your worth."

"After all, you are the Oracle Knight now," Sidon tittered. "And as such, you should not be afraid to ask for help."

Pausing, Brivere gave the two of them a wry smile. "In that case, may I ask for your assistance in adjusting my visor? I will wear it for protection until we get to the medical bay."

"Certainly." the prince said, leaning forward to fix the chains around his tail.

Link gave him a playful punch in the arm. "See, that wasn't so hard!" he laughed.

Brivere nodded. Surprisingly, it really wasn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am such a brivere i swer 2 hylia
> 
> Also, yeah, I'm pretty sure visors are a thing in Coma Baby
> 
> But let's just pretend that Hylian visors are different? Idk, I like the idea of Brivere having this new thing that nobody knows what the fuck it is


	6. Seeing Eye to Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Betaal as the new Knight Captain and Estuu as Brivere’s Holy Knight, the three Zoras must awkwardly make amends and learn to understand each other in order to properly be able to carry out their duties to Prince Sidon. However, their tense and complicated past threatens to hold them back from something greater.
> 
> (A fic for the sidlink fic Coma Baby, a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3 (tumblr: @banishfics / @banishedone), and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don’t need to read the whole series to get what’s going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything! I also post all chapters on my AO3 account BunnyBob!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren’t trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

It only occurred to Sidon as he stood there, before every citizen in the Zora Domain, holding a silver scale spear that would initiate the knighting ceremony, that this was an extremely horrible idea.

He inwardly cringed as he looked at Estuu and Betaal kneeling in front of him. It wasn’t that they weren’t worthy of their positions respectively. Betaal had almost won the first tournament he’d held years ago for the role of his personal knight, and while still very young, Estuu was extremely intelligent had and won Brivere’s trials fair and square. Both of them had fought for and earned their respective titles in an admirable show of wit and strength, making Sidon honored that such talented individuals would choose to serve and protect him.

No, the problem was the infamous tension that ran between the two, along with his now Oracle Knight, Brivere.

Years ago, Estuu had shot Betaal in the eye with an arrow for reasons unknown. Ever since then, she had had to wear an eyepatch that, luckily for her, just enhanced her already rugged face and threatening persona. Many speculated that, if the incident hadn’t occurred, _she_ would have become Prince Sidon’s original Knight Captain, not Brivere. Sidon couldn’t deny the possibility, since battling with a sudden handicap would severely hinder _anyone’s_ fighting ability. But nothing could be done in time for the tournament and Brivere had apologized profusely and insisted that he had no hand in his brother’s brash actions.

Sidon often joked to himself that he should thank Estuu for doing it, but there was no way that he could tell such a dark joke to anyone else. Of course, there was no malice towards Betaal in his humor, as he admired her raw physical strength and amazing leadership abilities. It just hurt his heart to think that he possibly never would have met Brivere if the tournament had ended differently. The prince was dating him _and_ Link now, who had left the Domain a couple days prior to try and find help for Brivere’s strange eye condition, caused by his future-seeing abilities. For now, Brivere continued to wear a silver scale visor to hide it, since most of the crowd still didn’t know about his condition.

The prince often mused that perhaps it was for the best that Brivere had won initially. When he had opened up the position for his personal knight to all of the Zora Domain, regardless of bloodline or status, he had the best of intentions to let everyone have an equal chance at the position. But he never would have expected the intense class war that broke out as a result. Under and upper city Zora alike had all fought in his tournament, accidentally making the position of Knight Captain into a political statement. Undercity Zora wanted to rise into the untouchable upper class, and the Uppercity Zora wanted to put the lower class back into their place.

Sidon used to be silently thankful that Brivere had won, since he technically didn’t fall into either category. Then, he had realized that the controversy and torment that used to surround his beloved knight’s family was something that no one should be grateful for.

The sound of his father starting his speech snapped Sidon out of his thoughts. King Dorephan’s naturally loud voice was absolutely booming as he made sure that every individual could hear his words. “Zora of our great Domain, it is with honor that today we bestow the title of Holy Knight to Estuu of Brivere’s bloodline and the title of Knight Captain to Betaal of the Undercity Zora. May the two of you use your positions to continue to protect our Domain and its citizens. Please lead us to a prosperous future.”

The old king gestured at Sidon and Brivere to step forward. “Both of you may now swear in your respective personal knights.”

Sidon walked over to Betaal with the silver scale spear tightly gripped in his hands. She held her head down until he stood directly in front of her. “Betaal of the Undercity Zora,” he began, tapping the pointed end of the spear on her brow, “You have displayed great strength during your time as a warrior.”

The spear then gently shifted onto her left shoulder. “There is no doubt that you have worked hard and deeply care for your fellow Zora.”

Moving the spear to her other shoulder, Sidon stared into her one remaining eye. “With this, I am proud to declare you as my Knight Captain. May we work together to bring victory to our great Domain.”

Betaal knelt lower until her brow touched the floor, then she rose to her feet. “Yes, my lord.” she said proudly. The two of them each held out their right hand and clasped them onto the other’s left shoulder, bowing their heads until they lightly touched.

Slowly, they let go, and Sidon shifted the spear until it rested horizontally in his hands. He held it out to Betaal, who took it in her left hand with a thankful nod. Sidon grabbed onto her right hand and held it high, which was a bit awkward since she was so much shorter than him, as she turned to face the cheering crowd.

“May we all welcome the new Knight Captain, Betaal!” he announced loudly.

The crowd roared with energy as they cheered and clapped their hands. The Undercity Zora hollered and screamed with joy, absolutely ecstatic at one of their own making it into one of the highest positions possible in the elite class of the royal government. The Uppercity Zora were noticeably less excited, politely clapping or simply mumbling words of congratulations in barely audible monotone voices. The soldiers in attendance, many of whom had actually worked under Betaal’s watchful eye before, started up the famous battle chant, shouting “ZO RA RA RA!” over and over as they pumped their weapons into the air.

The sounds of the wild crowd almost drowned out the sound of Brivere’s own speech, but Sidon was still able to barely catch a bit of it as he turned to look at the brothers. Estuu was trembling, clearly shaken by the sudden and extreme change in volume. Both of them quickly went through the same motions that he and Betaal just had, noticeably leaving out the parts where they would have to touch, and then Brivere helped Estuu to his feet and ushered him back into the palace.

Some of the Zora who were watching tilted their heads in confusion, surprised that the Holy Knight’s initiation had happened so quickly, with no one paying attention. But the majority of the crowd either didn’t notice or ignored the brothers in favor of Betaal, who was more popular and technically held a higher rank than Estuu anyways.

Sidon and King Dorephan watched with concern as the two brothers ducked through the grand entryway, but they knew that it was improper to disrupt the ceremony to check up on them. Besides, Brivere had already warned them that this would most likely happen, but apparently Estuu himself was the one who had insisted on going through with the ceremony.

The prince hoped with every scale on his body that his new trio of knights would get along. He was at least confident that they would work together professionally, but this hope quickly died when he caught the glare that Betaal wore as she watched the brothers leaving and the slight scowl that they both gave her in return.

Dear Hylia help them all.

;

The first few days after the ceremony were tense as Sidon tried to adjust to his larger entourage.

It was already bad enough that two new positions were added, leading to more paperwork and fumbling around to try and clear up any confusion. But on top of that stress, his knights were walking around on eggshells. Everyone awkwardly danced around each other, trying not to slice their feet into ribbons as they moved to an ever-changing tune.

One second, everything would at least be somewhat professional, and then the next, Betaal and Brivere would be clawing at each other’s throats. The fights always started the same, just over different topics each time. Betaal would say something against either of the brothers and egg them on until Brivere would snap and argue back. Ironically, the youngest Zora, Estuu, managed to be the most mature one and never got involved. But this was probably more due to him being mute than anything else, as evidenced by the cold stare he often eyed Betaal with.

This dynamic was surprising at first because Brivere was usually so reserved and stoic in the face of adversity. But Sidon could tell that Brivere was more confident and open to sharing his feelings after his melt down in the throne room a few months back where he had called out everyone who had ever wronged him and his family. At the same time, however, Brivere often still tried to maintain his usual emotionless mask out of nothing but sheer habit.

And for the most part, he was successful, and almost everyone saw no changes in his personality. But Betaal was the one person who knew all the wrong things to say, pushing Brivere to the point that he would snap and argue back.

If anything, Sidon wanted to be happy that his lover was finally able to give in to and acknowledge his emotions, but he was definitely _less_ thankful that it made their working environment so damn uncomfortable.

Even though he was dating Brivere, Sidon didn’t want to take any sides for sake of professionality. He figured that things would get better as they all got used to their new positions, and so he decided to just let the two of them fight it out until things settled down. But as the days melted into weeks and then a month, Sidon realized that things had only gotten worse, if even possible. It got to the point that he would excuse Brivere by sending him away to practice using his future-seeing powers, in turn also getting rid of Estuu.  The only good thing to come out of sending the brothers away was a closer friendship with Betaal, resulting in the two of them becoming much more casual with each other. The Undercity knight wouldn’t refer to him by his formal title and didn’t speak in a stuffy manner if they were alone. He appreciated it, since even Brivere couldn’t help but act like he always had a silverscale spear stuck up his ass.

Even then, the few rare moments that Brivere and Betaal would be in the same vicinity as each other would be as tense as ever. Practically all of the other soldiers and workers in the palace knew about their rivalry, and everyone would immediately vacate the room should one of the knights enter while the other was present.

Their constant fighting wore Sidon out, who found it harder and harder to keep up his usual upbeat front that he displayed to his people. It didn’t help that his empathetic ability was always running in the background, catching every bit of animosity that raced through Brivere and Betaal every time they were near each other. Even Estuu, who always stayed out of it, was beginning to take a toll on the prince. Sidon was worried about the younger Zora, who clearly had a lot of inner turmoil, but no way to express it. The raw, negative energy that almost always emitted off of the Holy Knight wore Prince Sidon’s sensitive abilities out.

His knights were too busy arguing to notice the change until one day Sidon snapped and shouted at them. He absolutely hated the way their faces fell and he excused himself, avoiding them for days. As much as he hated to admit it, the relationship between him and Brivere had become strained, and he found himself missing his other Hylian boyfriend every day.

The guilt and fear of losing Brivere as both a lover and a protector, as well as the two other talented knights, was what finally made Sidon take action.

He was going to fix this whether they liked it or not.

;

“I want not a single word from any of you until we reach our destination.”

His knights flinched at the harsh edge in Sidon’s voice. Brivere opened his mouth to ask exactly where it was that they were going, but quickly decided against it when Sidon glared at him.

They quickly fell into line behind the prince, obediently following him through the maze of hallways inside of the Zora Domain’s gigantic palace. It was a well-known joke that it had to be so big because of his father’s huge body, but even Sidon thought that the sheer number of useless halls and rooms was ridiculous.

The strange group continued to walk in silence, yet the tension was still thick in the air. Sidon looked over his shoulder to see Betaal and Brivere glaring at each other. Sighing, he continued to lead them down several flights of stairs until they were in the lower, older levels of the palace. This section was mostly unused other than for emergencies or for storage, but what _really_ stood out was the use of doors. For some reason, as the centuries went on, Zora architects decided that they were too good for doors and just made extravagant, high arching entryways instead.

And this old design was exactly what Sidon intended to use to his advantage.

They continued to walk until they came to stand in front of a particularly small door that stretched just above Estuu’s head. Sidon grabbed the handle and threw the door open, holding his muscled arm out to welcome them in.

“I need you guys to go inside. There’s something we need to investigate.”

If it had been anyone else, the three knights would have thought it was shady. If it had been anyone else, they would have decked them.  If it had been anyone else, they would have accused the other Zora of trying to lure them into a dark room just to murder them miles below the surface so that no one could hear their screams or find their bodies.

But it _wasn’t_ anyone else. It was just Sidon, their trusted prince and superior.

Hesitantly, each of them entered the room. Estuu could walk in easily, but Betaal had to duck her head and Brivere had to tuck himself into a ball and scoot inside.

The room itself wasn’t weird. It seemed like an abandoned Hylian guestroom, judging from the design of the carpet and the small bed inside. That certainly explained the low doorframe, since their Hylian friend Link was about the same size as Estuu.

No, what _was_ weird was when the door suddenly slammed shut behind them.

Sidon was definitely bigger than each of them individually, but as he leaned up in front of the door and felt their pounding fists on the weak wood he quickly became unsure if he was stronger than the three of them _combined_. He could only hope that Estuu was staying out of it like he usually did.

“Sidon!” Betaal’s rough voice shouted. “Let us out of here now!”

“Not until you all finally fix things between each other!”

He could hear Brivere’s panicked tone as the Oracle Knight pushed his body against the door. “But my Lord, what if something were to happen to you and we-!”

“It is my command as your prince that you three stay in there and work things out!”

The immediate silence that followed told him that Brivere and Betaal had frozen in uncertain shock. It was a dirty move, sure, ordering them to stay in the room, but it was the only way to keep them from arguing back. He felt the weight on the door lighten, then heard soft footsteps as both of his knights quietly slinked back to the center of the room.

Sidon could barely hear their voices through the door, even as he pressed his whole face against it. But while he couldn’t make out exact words, he could definitely tell that they were bickering in whispers just as harsh as if they were screaming at each other. He could only guess what the silent Estuu was doing during all of this, most likely just hiding behind his brother while scowling at Betaal, like usual.

The voices quickly grew louder and louder until Sidon could practically feel the wooden door shaking from their intense shouting. When there was sudden silence followed by the loud clanging of metal clashing against each other, he immediately realized that maybe it wasn’t a good idea to lock three of the Domain’s best fighters into the same room as each other.

Shit. He should have at least taken their weapons away first.

;

Betaal walked behind Prince Sidon, trying not to limp too much and show just how badly Brivere had injured her a few days before. While he was definitely still an asshole, she at least had to acknowledge how skilled he was with a longsword, especially since it wasn’t a common weapon among Zora soldiers.

She was satisfied to at least see him doing the same, as the Oracle Knight stumbled around next to her. Not one of the trio were speaking as they walked through the woods surrounding the Domain. They were overseeing several groups of soldiers who were combing the woods for monsters to make the roads safer for travelers.

Suddenly Prince Sidon stopped walking, making her and Brivere scramble to not bump into him. “I am going to rejoin the group led by Guard Captain Bazz just up ahead. Estuu is with them on my command to help them find any bokoblin bases. You two stay here on stakeout until I return or you receive word saying otherwise.”

“What, is this another ploy to get us to talk to each other and get along again?” she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

It clearly backfired when Sidon stared back at her with a hard gaze. “No. I gave up on doing that after last time. To be quite honest, I am extremely disappointed.” the prince said curtly. “I feel ashamed to bring either of you around the other soldiers because of your behavior. It makes me wonder if I should regret either of you being placed into these positions.”

His words stung, sure, but Betaal couldn’t fathom why Brivere looked absolutely devastated at Sidon’s harsh statement. Perhaps he was weaker than she had initially assumed.

With that, Prince Sidon turned and walked away. The two of them watched his large red form weave through the trees and eventually catch up to Guard Captain Bazz’s group. They were now alone with each other in a grass clearing with nothing else but the bright moon that hung above them.

They aggressively started a camp fire. Rather, they argued about the right way to position the logs, and then how to actually start a fire, then Betaal accused Brivere of trying to freeze her to death with his inability to get a spark going and he just glared back at her when the fire suddenly roared to life.

She rolled her one eye. “What, am I supposed to be impressed? I had to do this all the time when I was in charge at Fort Boko! I bet you and your brother have never had to even light a candle before.”

“First off, Estuu and I lived in poverty for nearly a century,” he said, the blazing fire behind him almost as hot as the heat rising in his chest. “We are both well aware of how to make a fire because it was the only way we could stay warm. Second off, I do not understand why you hate us so much!”

Betaal cringed. “I do not hate you two.” she lied politely.

The Oracle Knight threw his hands into the air, clearly fed up at this point. “Oh bull _shit_!”

She gaped back. Brivere was always so professional to the point that she was pretty sure that he always had a silver scale spear stuck up his golden ass. “I despise people who deny their hatred when it is so clear,” he spat.  “I have had to put up with it for too long from everyone else and I will _not_ tolerate it anymore by the likes of _you_.”

“Oh really?” she hissed back. “And what exactly makes you think that you and your brother deserve my respect? He shot my eye out! I lost the tournament because of that!”

A frustrated sigh erupted out of Brivere as he tugged on his long forefins. “I am aware of my brother’s actions. I have already apologized, and I will continue to apologize for them. But as I have already told you, I did not put him up to it. I would never cheat for something that I wanted, as satisfaction only comes from truly earning something with one’s own skill.”

His voice dropped as he looked at her through the slits of his visor, regret clear in his deformed eyes. “I thought that I had conveyed my sincerest apologies when I tried to give you the position all those years ago.”

“ _I_ don’t remember it that way.” she snapped back.

Brivere arched his brow at her, still forgetting that such gestures couldn’t be seen by others due to his visor. “Really? How do _you_ remember it?”

She hummed and closed her eye. The last round of that cursed tournament was one of the worst days of her life, so she tended to block it out. But she dragged it out from the depths of her mind if only to show Brivere the true impact of his actions.

It took a few minutes before she let out a loud sigh and slumped back against the grass. “I remember walking into the arena with my head held high, not wanting anyone to think that I was trying to hide my eye patch. I remember you standing on the other side of the platform, clearly pitying me. I remember you not even fighting back until I had to call you out on your bullshit.” Her fists balled next to her sides, clenched in anger. “And I remember you humiliating me in front of my own people who wanted me to win for their sake, and all of the people who expected me to fail just for being from the Undercity.”

Brivere silently sat there, clearly unsure of what to say. Eventually, he spoke up in a soft voice. “I am sorry. I didn’t know that you saw it that way.”

“Sure,” she grunted. “You elites are all the same. You act without thinking about what the hell those of us under your thumbs are going through.”

The golden knight’s face pinched tighter in frustration. “I wasn’t even considered worthy of living in society until a few months ago when I became nothing but a tool for the elite that you claim I am part of.”

“And even back then, you were still considered higher than me!” she shouted, shooting into an upright position. Her one eye stared back at him, boring a hole through his visor. “Don’t you see?! Undercity Zora like me are so far below the rest of you!”

“Then maybe you should not get so hung up on useless titles and statuses!”

Her hands flew into the air in frustration. “You really don’t get it!” she laughed. There was not a trace of humor in her breath, however. “I _have_ to work for those titles! It’s the only way I can be even be seen as worthy to live by those stuck up pompous assholes! It’s the only way I can survive!”

“Do not speak to me as if I do not understand!” he shouted in her face, baring his sharp teeth. “You _know_ of the controversy that used to surround my family. I am well aware of how much titles matter in society, but at least I have learned that there is more to life than bending over backwards for the very people that will dispose of you the second you aren’t useful anymore!”

A strangled growl clawed its way out of her throat. “Don’t act like you’re suddenly wiser and smarter than me because of your fancy new powers! YOU DON’T GET ANYTHING!”

The two of them were now panting for breath as they glared each other down. They were absolutely daring the other Zora to make the next accusation, to stab the next painful word through the other’s heart, but nothing came of it. Eventually they lost their steam and fell back onto the grass, slowly curling up into themselves. The woods continued to be quiet, other than the occasional howl of a monster too far away to be a threat.

Betaal was the first to break the sudden silence that had washed over them. “You seriously can’t expect me to believe that you are above titles when you clearly adhere to them so well.”

He glared at her through the slits of his silver visor. “And what has misled you to that conclusion?”

“How about the fact that you made up your new position of Oracle Knight?”

“I thought I already explained this to you back in the barracks months ago,” he groaned. “First off, the Oracle Knight and Knight Captain hold the same status, so it is not as if I gained anything. I would dare to say that _you_ have more power than me, since you have control of the prince’s soldiers and I do not unless he tells me otherwise.”

Betaal deflated a bit at this, realizing he was right. “Then why do it?”

“I already _told_ you. Goddess, were you not listening back at the barracks?”

“Sorry, I’ve learned to tune you out for years now.”

A slow, deep sigh hissed out of Brivere as he held his hands together in prayer and pressed them to his face. “Dear Hylia above please give me strength.”

The Knight Captain rolled her eye. “Cut the theatrics and just tell me why you made such an arbitrary title for yourself.”

“Fine.” he said curtly. “As I have stated before, I simply wanted to pledge my bloodline’s loyalty to the royal family. As my father was dedicated to King Dorephan, I am to Prince Sidon, and I know that our ability to see the future will be passed down and continue through a strong line of knights who wish to do the same for their generation of the next ruler.”

Betaal sighed. “Yeah, but don’t you think that’s a little much? Everyone _already_ thinks that it’s weird that you and Sidon are together so often.”

She flinched when Brivere suddenly shot up, his eyes clearly wild even through the narrow slits of his visor. “We do _not_ stay together too much!” he cried out.

Propping herself onto her elbows, she arched her brow at the flustered Oracle Knight. “No, you guys totally do. You think that I don’t find it insulting every time you drag him away from me?"

His mask of indifference was cracking, letting her see the panic writhing underneath. “I do no such thing!” Brivere said, unconvincingly. She stared at him in confusion, completely lost as to what suddenly made him so anxious.

Wait.

The way he was so defensive at the smallest accusations, completely flushed at the mere question of his relation to Sidon…

It reminded Betaal of herself.

Realization dawned on her. “You and Prince Sidon are dating?!” she shrieked before she could control herself.

Brivere yelped and gripped onto the grass around him. “N-no! It is not what you think! I assure you that it is much more complicated!” he exclaimed.

“Bullshit!” Betaal shouted, scooting right next to him. She absolutely enjoyed the embarrassed way he squirmed in place.

Stabbing a clawed finger at his chest, she giddily asked “How long has it been?”

He didn’t respond. Although she had a surprising soft spot for romance, that did not excuse her suddenly becoming too pushy, especially considering their tense relationship with each other. And that was putting it _lightly_. She pulled her finger back and awkwardly sat next to him, their scales shining from the warm fire blazing just in front of them.

A couple of minutes passed before the silence was broken by his soft voice. “Over a year.”

Her head whipped to the side to stare at Brivere, stunned. “Seriously?! For that long?!”

His golden tail shyly bobbed as he nodded. “Yes. We have kept it secret for many reasons, which I am not completely comfortable sharing without his consent.” Although she wanted to ask for more details, it was a reasonable restriction.

He still caught the conflicted look on her face and chuckled, much to her surprise. She had never seen him actually happy before. She hadn’t even known that he was capable of feeling such a thing. “I _will_ tell you, however, that one of the many problems with our relationship is the power dynamic. He technically holds a lot of power over me as my prince, but I assure you that we see each other on equal terms.”

Hesitating, he tilted his head towards Betaal so that she could see his deformed eyes through the slits of his visor. The strong light of the fire illuminated not just the strange condition of his eyes, but also the broken man that was hiding underneath all of the extravagant jewelry and armor.

“Can you _please_ promise me that you will not tell anyone of this?” he said in a desperate, pleading whisper that tugged at her heart. “Aside from Estuu and Link, Prince Sidon is all that I have. I cannot imagine a world where all three of them did not exist alongside me.”

Betaal hummed and slowly nodded. “I can do you one better,” she said, piquing Brivere’s interest. “In exchange for your confession, I will give you one of my own.”

As much as she didn’t want to, she had pressured Brivere into confessing something he was clearly uncomfortable with. And on top of that, it was something that was a secret, something that could possibly ruin his career. So it was only fair if she did the same.

She took in a deep breath and stared into the flickering fire in front of them. Its warmth reminded her of the special one in her heart. “I am dating another soldier named Dunma, who was recently promoted to my right hand in command.”

“…Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Both of them sat in silence. Eventually, Brivere spoke up. “Does anyone else know about this?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“I am sorry. Obviously, I know how it feels.”

“It’s alright. I just wouldn’t dare to tell anyone for the same reasons you and Sidon haven’t.” She laughed. “Power dynamics, what a bitch, right?”

Brivere surprisingly snorted and replied, “What a bitch.”

Betaal thought about how easily they were talking now despite being at each other’s throats for the last few years, more so over just this month alone. And then she cringed, remembering the results of such hostility.

“Hey…” she said slowly. “I’m sorry.”

Brivere looked at her, his lips slightly parted in surprise. “For what?”

“You know, all of the fighting. Sidon’s clearly pissed at us. I’m sorry if I accidentally ruined whatever you guys have. I can’t imagine a world without my Dunma.”

He sighed and leaned back into the grass. “Then can we agree to stop fighting every time we see each other?”

“Sure.”

“Then I accept your apology.”

Both of them were now reclined on the ground, faces turned to each other, both out of the desire for company and to also not lay directly on their head fins and cause muscle cramps later. The warmth of the fire lapped at their feet as the cool night air washed over the rest of their bodies.

Brivere’s voice softly made its way over to her. “I apologize for the way I acted at the tournament all those years ago. I had no idea that you perceived me that way. I thought I was doing the right thing, but it is now clear that I didn’t.”

She sighed and closed her eye. “I mean- sure. Yeah, it’s cool. But I want to know what the hell you were thinking, not fighting back against me.”

“I assure you that it was not out of pity. I could never look down on such an admirable fighter.” At this she jokingly scoffed back, swatting the compliment away with one hand. “I am serious!” Brivere laughed. “There is a reason why you have become so popular within our army and eventually earned the title of Knight Captain. You are extremely talented in battle.”

“Are you going to get to your point or are you going to finish sucking my dick first?” Betaal teased.

Brivere gasped at her vulgarity and she laughed at how flustered he got. “Right right, sorry, forgot that you only do that to our beloved prince.”

“BETAAL!”

“Geez, you’re too sensitive. But seriously, continue.”

The golden knight would have rolled his eyes, but even that slight movement caused him pain in his current condition. He tried to convey the gesture through his exasperated words. “I didn’t fight back because I thought that it would make up for my brother’s actions. Everyone already hated me so much because of the controversy surrounding both of us, and the arrow incident seemed to push them all over the edge. I thought that I didn’t deserve the position of Knight Captain if I could be so easily shaken by their words, but I learned to put up a stoic front to at least take away their satisfaction from hurting me.”

His voice suddenly became low as he tried to find the right words. “I figured that if everyone wanted you to win because of their hatred of me, then I might as well give in to it. I didn’t want to bring shame to Prince Sidon. I wanted to give you the position in exchange for the loss of your eye, I suppose.”

“And you didn’t think about how I could possibly see that as you pitying me or looking down on my misfortune?”

“I never would have imagined that it could be misconstrued in that way. I am so sorry that I was too misguided to realize it.”

Betaal sighed. “Promise to never do something like that again?”

“You have my word.”

“Then I accept your apology.”

They lay there, listening to the quiet woods around them. Neither of them knew exactly what got into them after a few moments of silence. Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe neither of them cared anymore. Maybe it was the relief that they had finally cleared up some misunderstandings, and they were hoping to clear up some more.

Whatever the reason, they slowly began talking.

Betaal relayed her struggle as an Undercity Zora, constantly trying to prove that she was worth far more than the snotty elites above her deemed her to be. She joked that her father wanted her to be a scholar, since a higher education was definitely uncommon among her people, but she couldn’t help but become the living stereotype of an Undercity brawler. The battlefield just kept calling to her too much to stay away. As harsh as it was, war was her home, the one place where she could be herself and actually feel that her life actually had some sort of inherent worth, even when everyone above her said otherwise.

In exchange, Brivere told her about the hardships he had had to endure because of his father’s hasty marriage on the battlefield over a century ago. Despite being able to see the future and knowing that he would die, Prion had still left him and his mother alone in the world with no evidence of his love for them. As a result, both were stripped of nobility status and his mother had been taken advantage of by Zambezi in her grieving state. The only good thing to come out of it was his beloved brother Estuu, who may have acted a bit differently and required more care than most kids, but had been, and still was, extremely cute and intelligent.

At least, that _was_ his younger brother that he was describing, so Brivere was definitely biased.

Betaal cringed at that part but decided to hold her own opinions aside. After all, the kid _did_ shoot her eye out and still presented no explanation as to why. Then again, he was mute, but still. She continued to listen anyways, feeling her heart begin to soften towards the brothers as Brivere’s story continued.

She caught the way Brivere’s breath hitched when he hesitated before speaking about how his mother had killed herself because of all of the mockery that she endured. It had happened when he had simply been asked to take Estuu out to practice archery, and they came back to find their dead mother floating in their poisoned cistern. Brivere was left alone to take care of a child, but he was just a child as well.

And then all he had was Estuu and all Estuu had was him.

He had clawed his way up to Knight Captain to try and regain _some_ sense of dignity and also to support the two of them. And now here he was as Oracle Knight, nothing more than a tool for the elite to use for their own desires.

Sure, Betaal had heard his story many times before. It was definitely tragic and complicated, but the full extent of how bad it was had never hit her when it was just rumors spread around the barracks by soldiers in-between sparring sessions. As she sat there listening to the man who had actually went through it all, she could see the pain in his eyes that the others had written off as weakness or joked about right in front of him.

And in-between each of their stories they kept saying sorry to each other. The apologies became less about their own wrong doings against the other and more about the regret they felt for the other Zora experiencing such hardship.

As the night stretched on and the fire began to burn itself out, the topic of difficult pasts shifted to amazing victories on the battlefield and other fond memories. They found that they actually had more in common than they initially thought. It ranged from strong ties, like their shared hatred for the upper class that looked down on them, to smaller, more mundane things, like their shared enjoyment over _The Cursed Girl_ series. Brivere admitted that he hadn’t really read the series but knew about most of it since his younger brother had completely memorized the books and sometimes used it as a means of communication. This impressed Betaal, and Estuu became a bit more bearable to her in that aspect.

Somehow, the conversation turned to insecurities, along with whispers of praise and encouragement to the other Zora, trying to assure the other that they shouldn’t be afraid or that they had more worth than they gave themselves credit for. They could sense each other come close to tears several times and said nothing if the other had to pause and sniffle or wipe at their face.

Both of them were terrified of failure. Of becoming useless and unworthy of simply being alive. Of losing the Zora that they loved the most in the world. Brivere even admitted to how he was sharing Prince Sidon with the Hylian Champion Link and Betaal didn’t even bat her eye. If anything, she just teased him about it, asking if he felt something for the Hylian as well and shrieking with laughter when he couldn’t answer.

The moon shone brightly above them, now the only source of light as the fire had died long ago. They were quietly gasping for breath, throats and minds completely exhausted from hours of talking about things that they had never told anyone else.

Betaal’s one eye met Brivere’s deformed ones hidden behind his visor. A silent message passed between them as their peculiar eyes became heavy, promising to still be on their guard and protect one other should anything try to attack them in their sleep.

;

“Do not rest until they are found!” Prince Sidon shouted to his men.

“Yes sir!” the soldiers shouted back in unison.

He nervously watched as they dispersed, each guard looking behind every tree and disappearing to search further into the woods. When he had left his First and Oracle Knights yesterday to join another group of soldiers, Sidon had never anticipated how long it would take. He had only intended to be gone for a few hours in order to regain his composure after accidentally lashing out with a venomous tongue. Brivere had reacted as if the prince had just run his spear through his chest, but Sidon left his lover behind anyways like a coward.

And now he worried that their relationship would be ruined over such careless words. The same thing had happened a long time ago, when Brivere had been sick with the Water Blight and had said harsh things to Sidon. He remembered how broken he himself had become over such statements. It had taken forever for them to come back from that, and it was nothing short of a miracle that they managed to be in a relationship now. But as much as Brivere hated to admit it, he was softer at heart and much more emotionally fragile than Sidon was. He was just much better at hiding it.

That wasn’t the only thing that worried Sidon. When they had finally returned from destroying a Bokoblin base, he had realized that he didn’t actually know where he had left Betaal and Brivere the night before. The woods were extremely vast and had no landmarks that made anything stand out. It was just a sea of trees with monsters lurking inside, making Sidon realize that they had wandered too far, and now he had no idea where his two knights could be.

Sidon shook off his worries and helped search the forest, trying to make himself useful. Shouts of Brivere and Betaal’s names by other soldiers were the only things he could hear over the heavy pounding of his heart. But even as he tried to occupy his mind with scanning the woods for his knights, he couldn’t help but think of every possible scenario imaginable.

What if the two of them had gotten ambushed by raiders? A member of the Yiga Clan? A whole _group_ of Yiga Clan members? A Hinox? A hoard of monsters? What if they had gotten lost or injured? What if they were… dead?

A shudder passed through Sidon. What if they had finally had enough of each other and had drawn their weapons out? What if they were both dead from the fight? After all, both of them _had_ proven themselves to be two of the most talented fighters in the domain. No, what if one of them had accidentally killed the other and ran away, trying to escape imprisonment?

He didn’t notice that he was practically sprinting through the woods now. The only thing that would ease his anxieties would be if he could actually find them.

A blur of scarlet suddenly crashed into him. Whatever it was, it was much smaller than him, but the surprise of the attack knocked him to the ground. He quickly positioned his spear so that it was threateningly pointed at his opponent.

Estuu stared back at him, unamused.

“Oh!” Sidon said sheepishly, lowering his weapon. “I apologize, Holy Knight. But then again, that isn’t the best way to get the attention of someone who is on edge.”

When Estuu just glared back Sidon remembered that the younger Zora couldn’t talk. For all he knew, Estuu could have actually been trying to get his attention for a while now and he had just been too distracted to notice. The prince cleared his throat in an attempt to save face. “Nevermind that. Is there something you wish to report to me?”

The younger Zora tugged onto Sidon’s silver bracelet and pointed behind him. When the prince just arched his brow in confusion, Estuu sighed and let go. He then used his only hand to cover one eye and after a pause used his flattened fingers to cover both of them, raising them up and down like a visor.

Sidon immediately perked up. “You have found Betaal and Brivere?!”

Estuu nodded and grabbed back onto Sidon’s bracelet, trying to pull the prince along. He obliged, obediently following the scarlet Zora through the woods.

The sight would have looked comical to anyone else, a child dragging around a fully-grown Prince like a beloved toy. In any other situation, Sidon would have laughed at how ridiculous this was, but his heart was tearing itself apart as feelings of relief and anxiety battled in his chest. The two of them silently weaved through the trees. But as their walk stretched on, the only thing on his mind was the state of his knights, each possible outcome getting worse and worse with each passing second.

He was so caught up in his growing panic that he didn’t even notice that Estuu had stopped and was now staring at him. Sidon only snapped out of it when a strangled growl escaped the small Zora’s throat as he waved his only arm to a grass clearing right in front of them.

The prince nearly had a heart attack on the spot. Laying in the grass were both of his knights, completely motionless.

Sidon wrestled out of Estuu’s grasp and accidentally knocked the tiny Zora aside when he ran towards his fallen friends. “BRIVERE! BETAAL!” he screamed.

To his shock, both of them shot up onto their feet and had their weapons pointed at him in the blink of an eye. As he stumbled and fell over, he couldn’t tell if he was more relieved to see that they were actually alive or scared that they might attack him any second.

Luckily, it was the former. “My lord!” Brivere shouted, lowering his weapon as he ran to Sidon’s side. “I am so sorry! You caught us by surprise in our slumber!”

Sidon was so happy that Brivere was still alive and apparently not mad at him that he pulled the golden knight into a tight embrace on top of him. He didn’t care that Betaal was still standing there, although he was confused when an amused smirk danced across her lips.

Both of them quickly pulled apart and Brivere quickly got back onto his feet, holding a hand out to help him up. Sidon grasped onto it more out of a need to physically feel his lover’s presence and to assure himself that he was truly there than because he needed help. He then turned to both of his knights, a sorrowful look on his face. “I am deeply sorry for leaving the two of you alone for so long. I did not anticipate running into a hoard of bokoblins, and I spent the night with Guard Captain Bazz and his men trying to get rid of them at their base. We have all been looking for you for hours.”

He was relieved when his knights simply nodded in response. “I apologize for the trouble, my lord.” Brivere said, bowing his head. Betaal laughed and smacked a hand onto the golden knight’s back.

Sidon tensed up, anticipating a fight. But, to his surprise, Brivere just chuckled in return as he straightened up. The Knight Captain then stepped forward, eyeing Sidon with an amused gaze.

“It’s alright your Highness. Everything turned out fine,” Betaal said, patting him on the arm as she passed. Then she paused and looked over her shoulder, grinning at Brivere. “I’m going to go around and get the other soldiers to stop their search. I’ll take the part of the woods west of here and you take the east?”

Brivere nodded with a slight smile. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Cool.” Betaal looked back at Sidon and blinked, but the way she did it suggested that she was actually trying to wink at him. “Don’t slack off. I know you want some alone time with your Oracle Knight, but actually _try_ and search for any wandering soldiers. Send them all back to the barracks when you find them so that this doesn’t stretch on for too long.”

He was too stunned to argue. “Uh- um, I… Ok. Yes, sure.”

With a nod to both of them, Betaal walked through the trees and out of sight. Estuu waved and pointed in her direction, scurrying off before either of them could say otherwise.

Now that they were alone, Sidon ogled his Knight Captain. “What in Hylia’s name did I miss?” he asked.

A rare laugh escaped Brivere’s taut lips. “I assure you not much, my lord.” the golden knight said as he held his hand out to lightly grab onto Sidon’s. “Shall we look around and tell the other soldiers that the Knight Captain and I are safe?”

Numbly, Sidon nodded, and the confusion sloshing around inside of him melted into affection as he and his lover walked away hand in hand. Of course, when they came across other guards they had to quickly pull apart. But the feelings of affection still remained.

;

The first few days after the incident in the woods were awkward as Sidon tried to adjust to his knights’ sudden change in behavior.

No one could explain why the two seemed to be so much calmer now. The other soldiers and palace workers still left the room out of habit when one of the knights would enter while the other was in there, but they would peer behind the entryway and be surprised to find that the two of them would just be politely chatting with each other.

It was also strange to see two of the most powerful and strongest warriors in the Zora Domain suddenly be so casual. This was especially because Betaal tended to act tough to cover up how she struggled being the only Undercity soldier in the palace, and Brivere had always been known for his infamous resting bitch face and spear-up-his-ass attitude. So, it completely shocked everyone when the Knight Captain would often lean over and whisper something to the Oracle Knight and they would immediately start cackling. Genuine smiles and bouts of laughter became less rare, and Sidon was finally enjoying his role as a prince again.

Although Betaal had clearly not completely forgiven Estuu yet, it was obvious that she had at least warmed up to him a bit. Some swore that they saw her quietly sitting with the younger Zora in the royal library, both of them completely engrossed in the same book that they had read so many times before. Guard Captain Bazz even claimed that he once witnessed her follow Estuu when he ran away to have a meltdown, presumably comforting him by the way he quickly recovered and came back. But if anyone asked Betaal, she always denied it and no one was certain if she was actually joking or not.

Now that they all got along, it was an absolute joy to have the three of them be Sidon’s personal knights. To him, it was just like having old friends be your coworkers, and his dull duty as prince became much more bearable as a result.

They even often had contests during boring council meetings to see who could get away with the most outrageous and funny gestures without the other stuffy old council members noticing. No one knew who had started it, but Estuu was the reigning champion because he had somehow managed to sneak behind King Dorephan’s shoulder and stick his tongue out without anyone else batting an eye. They had to tone it down after Sidon burst out laughing while a council member was reading about the soldier fatality rates and funeral procedures.

Prince Sidon had always known that his three soldiers had had difficult pasts. Each of them had never been expected to make it to their high positions. Everyone held them down and told them that they were worthless, and complained that they must have cheated to become his personal knights for the sole purpose of mooching off of his power.

But Sidon knew better than that. His knights had fought back against society’s designated roles for each of them, taking what was rightfully theirs with the intention of protecting the very people that had tormented them for years. Brivere, Estuu, and Betaal were very admirable in his eyes, refusing to stick to an oppressive class system or listen to anyone’s harsh tongue and instead, choosing to fight for what was right.

And, as he proudly stood by his father’s throne, three of the Zora Domain’s toughest and most fearsome warriors kneeling right beside him, Prince Sidon couldn’t help but hope that he could rule his kingdom the very same way his knights acted when the time came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this bc of a burning passion for Betaal and Brivere content. Like i love betaal, i relate so bad, i too am a woman who loves to write and gets nervous around other women. So i love seeing her as a teasing friend who gives you shit, so I wanted this for her. The fight between her and Brivere is kind of written from an experience i had, where i absolutely hated my cousin but we had a hardcore heart to heart one night after a really bad fight. And now we are so close shes like my sister. So i think that these two characters are really similar, and could be really good supportive friends if they could just get past their animosity! like i said, this series is just indulgence lmao


	7. An Unhelpful Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though Brivere has just recently awakened his ability to see the future, word of his powers has already spread outside of the Zora Domain. As a result, the golden knight is often pressured to help the many elders and leaders from across Hyrule who have come begging for his advice. So, when Princess Zelda and her personal knight come, it is a surprise that Brivere is the one who receives help for once.
> 
> (A fic for the sidlink fic Coma Baby, a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne (tumblr: @banishfics / @banishedone), and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don’t need to read the whole series to get what’s going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything! 
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren’t trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

It was no surprise when a letter came to the Zora Domain from Princess Zelda of the Hylians, announcing that she would arrive within two weeks to speak with the Oracle Knight.

When Brivere had first awakened his ability to see the future, many Zora in the Domain had scrambled to ask him for advice. The requests themselves varied in how reasonable they were, ranging from military officials like the Knight Captain Betaal wanting guidance on their next military outing to people like Bazz sheepishly asking if he had a future with another soldier named Gaddison.

(The answer, by the way, made Brivere cringe so hard that he hurriedly excused himself, saying that he had a headache. And by Hylia’s grace, he hadn’t seen the Guard Captain since.)

Admittedly, the golden knight was reluctant to use his abilities when everyone first started to come to him for advice. The situation reminded him too much of Estuu’s healing ability during the Water Blight, where people who used to not give his younger brother the time of day suddenly treated Estuu like he was a god. Zora would come to their home every day, begging for help, bringing anything from rupees to food, which was rare due to the contamination of their food supply. Both brothers quickly learned that they would not be accepted by society unless they proved to be useful, to be a tool to fulfill others’ wishes and desires.

But then Brivere started to think about what his father would have done. He had always grown up hearing about Prion’s heroism and selflessness, using his ability to see the future in order to help others and protect his beloved Domain. And while their circumstances were different, Brivere wanted to be like his father, to live up to Prion’s legacy, to prove that he truly deserved to carry on the great war hero’s memory. Plus, Brivere was surprisingly soft at heart, and found himself to be more forgiving towards those who hadn’t been so cruel towards him and his family in the past.

So, eventually, the golden knight caved in and helped out other Zora as much as he could. Brivere noticeably avoided some of his worst offenders, which were the Zora who had tormented him and his family the most over the past hundred years. Everyone quietly agreed that this was perfectly understandable, save for the Zora that he was actually avoiding, who were pretty pissed off about being ignored. But no amount of rupees or apologies would sway the golden knight with the indifferent mask, who was silently pleased to watch his past tormentors now be on their knees, begging for mercy and pleading for his help.

However, there was one problem with the increasing amount of assistance that Brivere was giving, and that was the lack of control over his abilities. This resulted in him becoming easily exhausted, especially when he put his father’s choker on. The Oracle Knight often tried to excuse the negative consequences of his powers, saying that helping other Zora, no matter how small the request, was just practice for strengthening his abilities. Estuu had already followed Brivere everywhere due to his new status as Holy Knight, but now he did it more out of concern for his older brother to make sure that he didn’t randomly collapse somewhere without anyone’s knowledge.

His sensitive condition only worsened when word of his abilities spread outside of the Domain and seeped into the rest of Hyrule. At first, it was only the occasional Rito messenger asking for the best flight route or a Gerudo wondering about the possibility of a promotion in her army, but soon dozens, if not _hundreds_ , of travelers flocked to the Zora Domain for the sole purpose of speaking with the Oracle Knight.

Many Zora were actually happy with this, because trade had greatly increased as a result of the influx of travelers, and the Zora economy began to thrive. However, King Dorephan, Prince Sidon, and many of the other people who worked closely with Brivere worried about the impact that his ability had on him. Even Betaal was keeping her eye on the Oracle Knight, worried that he might have a mental breakdown again.

Eventually, it was agreed upon that Brivere could not use his abilities unless specifically requested by either King Dorephan or Prince Sidon themselves, despite his many protests. Even if the council or one of the higher guard officials wanted his insight, they would have to ask the royal family first. The golden knight kept assuring the others that nothing was wrong, despite his eyes _still_ not returning back to normal. Brivere had no choice but to agree and was honestly too tired to fight back, much to Estuu’s relief.

Luckily for the Domain, trade continued, but the number of outside travelers greatly diminished when the new restriction for the Oracle Knight was officially put in place. Some still found a way around the new rule, coming before King Dorephan with the excuse of discussing politics when they really intended to speak to Brivere. The king actually didn’t mind, since the requests usually came from other rulers or leaders from around Hyrule. He sympathized with their desire to help their people thrive as that was all he wanted to do as well.

When this had first happened, it came as a surprise to everyone, especially Brivere. Riju, the Gerudo Chieftess, had announced that she wanted to create better trade routes for both of the Domains. The hot desert where the Gerudo lived was impossible to access by any Zora merchants and the Zora Domain was too far to be appealing to any Gerudo travelers. She had come with hopes to find a solution that benefitted both of their peoples.

It was quite the sight to see the Gerudo Chieftess, decked out in the extravagant gold jewelry and silk clothes that her people were famous for, dance into the throne room with her warriors following closely behind. They all swayed their hips and swung their swords to the beat of a drum hammering in the background as a woman beautifully sang a song in a foreign language.

Brivere worried that his younger brother would be bothered by the sudden change in environment, but, luckily, the way they had positioned themselves had worked in Estuu’s favor. With the addition of Oracle Knight and Holy Knight to Prince Sidon’s entourage, they had had to figure out a new way to present themselves during official meetings and court hearings. Eventually, they had settled on Sidon standing with his arms behind his back, Betaal and Brivere on either side of him with their heads slightly bowed and hands on their upright weapons standing in front of them, and Estuu kneeling to the other side of Brivere with his head bowed low.

So when the music had gotten too loud, Estuu had been able to cover his head without anyone noticing. It still worried Brivere and he could only hope that the performance wouldn’t last too long.

The display of Gerudo culture finally hinted that it was stopping when Riju wildly twirled a sword around her dancing body as the song came to a crescendo and ended as she slammed the sword’s pointed end into the ground. Her warriors all grunted out a brief war chant before falling onto one knee behind her. The Zora present for the amazing display quickly clapped, long enough to be polite but short enough to spare poor Estuu who was trembling slightly off to the side.

King Dorephan and Chieftess Riju had a lengthy talk about possible solutions to their trade route dilemma, but Brivere couldn’t help but notice that the chieftess seemed distracted, glancing around the room, clearly having something else on her mind.

Eventually, even the Zora king caught on, and he politely shifted the conversation by asking if there was something else she wished to discuss. The Gerudo Chieftess hesitated, a bit embarrassed to have been caught, but she relented and told him that while the trade situation between their Domains was troubling, she was more alarmed about the Yiga Clan presence that was threatening her kingdom. She had heard word of a Zora that could apparently see the future and hoped that she could inquire with him for possible actions that she and her people could take to protect themselves.

At this, all of the Zora in the throne room turned to Brivere, who flinched slightly. It wasn’t a surprise that someone was asking for his help, he just didn’t expect it to happen at that moment. When people had come to him before, they had been upfront about what they wanted to ask. Admittedly, he had also zoned out for most of the meeting, completely uninterested in the nuances of trade and landscapes across Hyrule.

He looked to Sidon for help only to find the prince staring back, looking just as confused as he was. King Dorephan was the one who finally gave Brivere permission to step forward, and he did so, Estuu following close behind with a paper and quill in hand. He quickly used his abilities and ended up passing out, but when he woke up hours later he was told that Riju had already left, satisfied with a new trade route and better understanding of the Yiga Clan’s plans. As compensation she had left him some rupees and a couple of interesting items from her culture, which he thought was a pretty good exchange, especially since Estuu seemed to enjoy playing with them.

After this, more and more leaders came from all around Hyrule after hearing about how well the exchange had gone. And, while King Dorephan _was_ generous, he was still concerned for Brivere’s wellbeing and only allowed him to use his abilities if he felt well rested or if the request was urgent.

But apparently an exception was made when Princess Zelda’s letter had arrived. Usually the king would dismiss such a vague request, especially since Brivere had exhausted his abilities just two days prior for the Rito leader, Kaneli, but Zelda had a close friend of the king’s beloved daughter, Mipha, before she tragically passed in Vah Ruta.

Everyone could see how joyful King Dorephan was at just the mere announcement of Zelda’s arrival, and so, Brivere didn’t have the heart to refuse. Besides, he had his own selfish reasons to participate, since whenever Zelda went somewhere on a diplomatic mission her own personal knight would be right by her side. Link had left months ago, saying that he would find help for Brivere’s strange eye condition, but Brivere wouldn’t be surprised if the reckless Hylian had gotten distracted in the process. It wasn’t too big of a deal to him since his visor still helped him get along just fine; he was just more excited at the chance to see his friend again.

But something else bubbled inside of him as well at the thought of a reunion with Link, which he tried to push aside when he couldn’t quite explain it.

And then the day finally came.

Usually, when most leaders, royalty, or other rulers visited King Dorephan, they would bring a large entourage of knights and warriors to accompany them. This was both for their own protection and to display their Domain’s strength and power.

But when Princess Zelda arrived, the only person with her was Link. She certainly didn’t need soldiers around her to show off her strength, for it was clearly visible in the way she held her head high with confidence. And she _definitely_ didn’t need a group of warriors for protection, for Link was his own one-man army. No one would dare to touch the princess that the Hylian Champion, who had defeated the Calamity on his own when no one else could, swore his life to protect. The two of them rode in on top of Crazy Girl, who surprisingly wasn’t crazy as she trotted into the throne room.

Sidon visibly flinched at the sight of the insane horse, remembering how she had nearly killed him when he had fought against Link a few years prior. It took all of Brivere’s willpower to not laugh at the frightened look on his prince’s face and the confused way that Betaal eyed him in concern.

King Dorephan smiled warmly at the princess. “It is a great pleasure to see you again, Zelda. I must admit that we had desired your presence earlier once we found out that you were still alive.”

“I apologize, King Dorephan.” she replied politely. “I wished to come back sooner as well. No one else has remembered me or Link, as everyone we knew perished over one hundred years ago. But I am overjoyed to know that my dear Zora friends still remember me.”

“It is alright, child. We know that you must attend to your own kingdom first. Speaking of which,” he gestured his large, finned hand towards Brivere, who straightened up. “That is your reason for visiting, yes? You wish to ask our Oracle Knight to help you with rebuilding your kingdom with his visions of the future?”

A smile gracefully slipped onto the princess’s face. “Actually, I believe that it is _he_ who will be receiving help today.”

Everyone silently gawked at the princess, surprised. All of the other nobles and leaders who came to the Domain always asked for _Brivere’s_ help, not the other way around. Zelda caught onto their shock and quickly spoke to clarify. “Link has returned to me, saying that his dear friend has had a strange occurrence happen to his eyes, as a result of his new ability to see the future. He was worried and asked if I could help, so I obliged, of course.” She turned to look at the golden knight with a soft gaze. “May I see it, so I have a better understanding of your situation?”

Brivere hesitated, unsure of what to do as everyone stared at him. He kept his usual blank face yet Sidon still caught the nervous way he looked at him through the slits of his visor. Clearly, he was asking what to do, but even Sidon didn’t know what to tell him.

Laughing, King Dorephan was the one to ease the tension that had suddenly built up in the throne room. “Go on, Brivere. She only wishes to help you.”

Nodding, Brivere stepped towards Princess Zelda and knelt both out of respect in order to be at eye level with her.

“Could you lift your visor, please?” she asked gently.

Brivere paused out of uncertainty. “With all due respect, Princess Zelda, it is quite disturbing. I would hate to leave a bad impression on both my and my lord’s part.”

Zelda laughed and waved his worry away with a graceful hand. “Nonsense! I held back the Calamity for a hundred years, for Hylia’s sake! Nothing could shock me now. Besides, it will only get worse if you let no one look at it to help.”

Hesitating, Brivere eventually relented and slowly raised the visor up. He flinched when Princess Zelda visibly cringed and held a dainty hand over her mouth, blue eyes opening wide. “O-oh!” she stammered. “I must admit, this is not what I was expecting.”

Brivere flushed, looking away before he could frighten her any further. His eyes were watering in the crisp air and burning at the faint sunlight that illuminated the throne room. They were just as bad as the last time he had exposed them in the barracks a few months back, if not worse. Bloodshot and pulsating, one eye was completely blacked out as golden symbols flashed and floated around his iris while the other eye had shifting rings of recurring gold, white, and purple. The skin on the upper half of his face used to be a pale blue but had faded into a darker grey, with golden freckles splashed across his cheeks.

“Please turn back to me.” she urged. If the command had been given by anyone other than royalty, Brivere would have refused, but instead he obediently gave in and tilted his face closer to hers. He winced when she placed her hands on either side of his face, turning it this way and that as she closely examined his eyes. It took every scale on his body to not glare at Link or Betaal, who he could hear quietly laughing behind him at the ridiculous display.

Princess Zelda hummed and eventually let go of his head. “You see, Oracle Knight, I have always been well-versed in everything ranging from the history of Hyrule to medical practices. But I have never quite seen something as peculiar as your situation.”

“Can you not help him then?” Link’s voice shot at her from behind. The Oracle Knight was slightly taken aback from the sudden aggression in his voice.

Zelda’s face noticeably tightened. “While I may not be personably able to, I do believe that Purah and Impa are both currently in Kakariko village and will be of some help.”

“YOU CAN’T!”

Everyone in the room snapped their heads to gawk at Link, who had become furious seemingly out of nowhere. His face was red as he panted for breath, hands balled at his sides.

Princess Zelda glared at him, but softened her gaze as she looked back at King Dorephan. “I do apologize for my personal knight’s outburst. May you allow us a moment a privacy?”

The old king nodded uncertainly in response. “Of course. You two may use any of the empty rooms in our palace. Shall we wait here for your return?”

“That would be deeply appreciated. I promise that we will not take too long.” She walked over to the door but turned with a cold stare as she realized that her knight was not already behind her.

“Link.” she said sternly. “Follow me.”

The other Hylian’s face scrunched up in frustration, but he eventually relented, stomping towards Zelda. When he passed Brivere, his head tilted up and he grabbed onto one of the Zora’s long fore fins, forcing the golden knight to lean down. “No matter what,” Link hissed in his face, soft enough so that no one else could hear, “do NOT go to Kakariko village.”

Zelda cleared her throat loudly and glared at Link, daring him to embarrass her further. He rolled his eyes and followed after her, leaving every Zora in the throne room frozen in place as Brivere continued to kneel there, rolling Link’s last warning over and over in his head.

;

“Did you know that their relationship was so…?”

“So tense?” Sidon replied.

Brivere nodded. Not quite the word he would use, but it worked well enough. “Since he is her personal knight, I suppose I expected the two of them to be extremely close. According to legend and what he has told me, they spent over a century apart and he was amazed to find that she was still alive. One would expect that he would be ecstatic to be with her again.”

Roughly two hours had passed since Princess Zelda and her personal knight had stormed out of the room. All of the other council members had complained about Hylians and how such terrible behavior before royalty was only to be expected, but their slander had apparently angered King Dorephan, who had harshly excused them. Prince Sidon and his personal knights were the only ones to remain other than the king, and they took to talking amongst themselves while King Dorephan patiently drummed his large fingers on the arm of his throne.

“It is quite a shame,” Sidon admitted, “but not everyone has such a close relationship with their personal knight. I consider myself quite blessed to get along with not one but _three_ of the Domain’s strongest warriors and even more honored that they would dedicate their lives to serving me.”

Betaal sneered and rolled her eye. “Are you done sucking my dick yet?”

“Betaal, language.”

“Right, right, sorry, forgot that you only do that with your Oracle Knight.”

Sidon and Brivere groaned while Estuu’s tail angrily flapped against his back as a disgusted squeal vibrated in his chest.

“Oh, I apologize my lord!” Betaal laughed, giving him an over exaggerated bow. “I forgot that your Hylian boyfriend is here too! It’s not as if they have been gone for over _two hours_ or anything.”

“Vulgarity aside, the Knight Captain is correct.” Brivere said. “While I do appreciate that they came all this way to help me, I am slightly frustrated that they have been keeping us waiting for so long. Not a word has come back as to what their current plans are.” Estuu nodded beside him, but the younger Zora really had no reason to complain. He had already cracked open his copy of _The Cursed Girl_ , and Betaal was also trying to read it from over his shoulder.

A deep sigh deflated Prince Sidon’s large form. “I do apologize everyone, but my father has given his word that we will wait for their return. And I must always stay by his side, as you all must stay by mine, so it looks like we are here to suffer for as long as need be.”

“At least we’re suffering together.” Betaal grunted. “But seriously? Two hours? Who in Hylia’s name is able to argue for that long?”

Prince Sidon arched his brow. “You say that as if you are one to talk. You have picked fights with nearly every soldier in the palace and your bouts with Brivere were especially unbearable during both of your first months as my personal knights.”

Betaal and Brivere cringed at this and looked over at each other. They had only recently gotten over their tense relationship and became more casual friends, so it was completely hypocritical for the Knight Captain to criticize their Hylian guests.

“Perhaps we should send someone to check up on them and make sure that they are alright?” Brivere suggested.

Apparently King Dorephan was listening in on their conversation. “No,” he hummed. “That would be disrespectful. I promised my old friends some privacy and I have always been a man of my word. They came here to assist our dear Brivere, so I would appreciate if you _all_ would stay and help decide the best course of action to help him.”

The old king winked. “Admittedly, I also desire some company.”

They all decided to move on from the controversial topic and tried to occupy themselves by doing other things. Prince Sidon distracted his father with Brivere by having meaningless conversation about relations to other kingdoms in Hyrule while Betaal snuck out and grabbed their unfinished reports along with some fish. The four of them then took turns ducking behind a pillar while someone talked to the king, reading through the papers and quietly snacking on the food she had managed to steal from the kitchens. No one commented on how she had specifically gotten fish that Estuu would be satisfied eating, since he had a particularly sensitive palette.

None of them expected to actually finish writing up the reports before the Hylian princess and her knight came back. Betaal bit back the urge to complain and just joined Estuu in the corner to read more of _The Cursed Girl_. Neither of them said anything when Sidon tugged Brivere behind the pillar again doing Hylia knows what.

Eventually the sun began to set, and while its soft amber light made the whole throne room glow beautifully, the few who still remained inside were completely unamused. King Dorephan had taken to slumping back in his throne, golden eyes drooping and nearly falling asleep, if it wasn’t for the prospect of his Hylian guests coming back.

Betaal had taken to just talking to Sidon and Brivere in front of the throne, completely fed up with _The Cursed Girl_ at that point and vowing to never even look at another book again. She claimed that anyone who even brought a book to her would get decked.

Unsurprisingly, Estuu was still tucked into the corner, branding the inked words into his mind. It was completely unnecessary, since he already had the whole thing memorized and could probably just recite it all without the book if he could actually speak.

When the sky began to become dark with speckles of stars shining through, King Dorephan had apparently had enough. “Oracle Knight.” he snapped. The other four Zora in the room flinched at the edge in the usually kind king’s voice. The golden knight quickly shot up onto his feet and bowed. “Yes, your majesty?”

The old king’s eyes softened. “Oh, I do apologize, Brivere. I suppose that the unexpected disrespect from an old friend has taken its toll on me.”

He nodded. “It is alright your majesty. I completely understand.”

“I only regret that they have come with the sole purpose of helping you but have failed to do anything to show that they actually intend to do so. You have done so much already, the very least I could do is jump at any chance to relieve your suffering.”

Brivere smiled to himself. Ever since he had tried on the choker for the first time, King Dorephan had slowly started to act like the father he never got the chance to have. Although Brivere couldn’t really forgive the king’s past indecisiveness yet, he still appreciated the concern.

“May you go check up on them?” King Dorephan asked. “Perhaps your presence will remind our guests exactly why they have come here in the first place. 

“Yes, your majesty.” Brivere replied as he rushed out of the room, thankful for a chance to finally leave. He chuckled to himself when he heard Betaal curse behind him for not being quite so lucky.

The Oracle Knight quickly rushed through the halls, stopping any servants or council members that he passed and asking them if they had seen the Hylian guests. To his surprise and frustration, no one knew of their location. This only made the search all the more difficult since the palace was unnecessarily large, filled with plenty of winding hallways and useless rooms.

He happened to be examining one of those rooms when a familiar voice caught his attention. “Brivere!” it hissed. The golden knight whipped around so quickly that his long forefins swung around and smacked him in the face. He ignored how ridiculous it may have looked to the blond Hylian peering around the edge of the entranceway with piercing blue eyes.

“Hylian Champion!” he exclaimed as he rushed towards him. The golden knight wanted to bombard his Hylian friend with a thousand questions but was stopped when a voice he didn’t expect to hear harshly pierced the air.

“LINK!” Zelda’s voice loudly echoed through the gemstone halls. “COME BACK HERE IMMEDIATELY!”

Brivere gawked at his Hylian friend. “Why is your princess so upset? Is something-!”

Link grabbed onto Brivere’s arm and pulled him away so quickly that his words were immediately cut off. “I’ll explain more when we get away from that crazy bitch.” he hissed.

Dumbfounded, Brivere allowed the smaller Hylian to drag him around. No matter how frustrated he got at Prince Sidon, he would never dare to slander the prince in such a vulgar manner. It completely blew his mind that Link had the audacity to do so, especially with the woman who had known him for over a century.

Neither of them said anything as Link led him in the opposite direction of Zelda’s voice, its desperate pleas and commands eventually fading away as they delved deeper and deeper into the maze of the palace. Link was only satisfied when the only thing that they could hear was each other’s heavy breathing, and he quickly pulled Brivere into an empty room. Both of them faced each other as Brivere crossed his arms, waiting for Link to explain himself.

“Look.” Link spat. “What I am about to tell you… I have never really told anyone else before. I truly believe that our friendship has evolved to the point that I completely trust you with the information I am about to share.”

Brivere nodded, not wanting to ruin this new development. “I appreciate that you have such faith in me. But why have you not told anyone else?”

The Hylian cringed. “Okay, well, actually I have.”

Trying to lighten the mood, Brivere let out a titter. “Oh, so you are lying to me now? I must say, this whole ‘trust’ thing is certainly going well so far.”

It clearly worked when Link snorted. “No, you asshole. It’s just…” his blue eyes drifted off to the side, becoming distant. “It’s only been like, maybe two other people? Technically more but they don’t really count. Whatever, it’s complicated and the exact number doesn’t matter anyways. All I know for sure is that the few people I have told this to all thought I was crazy.”

He suddenly stepped forward and pointed a finger at Brivere’s chest, pressing it into his pale scales softly enough to not hurt but hard enough to clearly communicate the threat in the gesture. “If I tell it to you, you have to _promise_ to hear me out until the end.  You need to promise to not dismiss my fears and think that I am either insane or making it up. You need to trust me like I trust you.”

Brivere held up a clawed hand and rested it on his chest. “I promise.”

Relief washed over Link as his body loosened up, but hesitation was still clear on his face. Brivere allowed the Hylian to take a moment to gather his thoughts and gain the courage to speak about what was bothering him. His blue eyes shut tightly before flying open, filled with burning determination.

“I can’t die.” the Hylain said.

Brivere blinked back at him. “…I beg your pardon?”

“Hey, you promised!” Link snapped, face pinching up in anger.

“I fully intend to keep my word. But I do believe that it would be best if you elaborate.”

“I was getting to that,” Link said, rolling his eyes. “Anyways. The basic run down is that I’m immortal. I’ve been killed so many times that I’ve lost count. And every time it happens, no one else remembers. I don’t fully understand this whole thing yet but I _do_ know that the power was given to me by the Sheikah to ensure that I could fulfill the prophecies and defeat the Calamity.”

His fists balled at his sides, shaking from how much he was trying to hold back the anger that was thrashing around in his chest. “But they never told me. They gave it to me when I was unconscious without thinking about how much it would fuck me up psychologically and physically. And then, when I suspected something wrong was happening, I told them and they had the _nerve_ to just say that I was crazy.”

Brivere nodded along as realization dawned on him. “Is this why you do not wish for me to go to Kakariko Village as the princess suggests?”

He watched Link’s jaw drop as he stared back at him for an uncomfortable amount of time. “You… you believe me?” he breathed.

“Did I not just say that I would?”

 “Well yeah,” Link said, still gawking at him. “But just like that?”

He was confused now. “Do you wish for me to believe you or not?”

Link quickly nodded his head, sending blond hair flying around his face. “Yes, sorry, I just… didn’t expect it to happen so easily, I guess.”

Brivere watched Link’s body tremble in both anger and relief. He didn’t need Sidon’s empathy ability to see the fear trapped within those bright blue eyes, threatening to tear his poor friend apart from the inside out. There was no way anyone would be this shaken if they were lying.

“Link.” he said softly. The Hylian looked back at him in shock. The uptight golden knight usually had such a hard time being casual that hearing his name roll off of the Zora’s tongue was nothing short of a miracle.

Brivere stepped forward, gently squeezing Link’s shoulder. “I promise that I will not doubt you. I fully believe your story and anything else you may say. If you trust me enough to tell me these things, then please also place that trust into my sincerity.”

Link gulped and nodded. “You just can’t go to Kakariko village,” he said in a breathy whisper, clearly holding back tears. “I’m just so afraid, Brivere. And you know I fucking hate admitting that, but you are basically my closest friend at this point. I can’t even think of what they’ll do to you if they want to experiment with that special power of yours. I will not let you be broken by them like they broke me, not for as long as I live. And that will be forever.”

Humming in response, Brivere gently squeezed his Hylian friend’s muscled shoulder again as Link’s face hung low. “What can I do that will make you feel better about this situation?”

 Link snapped his head up, watery blue eyes intensely locked onto Brivere’s disturbing ones. “Zelda is going to try and convince King Dorephan and Sidon to make you go because she knows that I’m trying to talk you out of it. I have no idea why she is pushing for this so hard, and I suspect that she may be in on whatever the Sheikah are scheming.” A shuddering sigh deflated his usually confident body, and he paused before continuing.

“I need you to try and fight back. I know it is hard because you have been trained your whole life to bow to the royal family, but you need to be thinking of your own safety here. I’m _so_ sorry to be asking this of you and for putting you in this situation in the first place. I was so desperate to get you help that I even asked _Zelda_ , for Hylia’s sake.”

“I take it that things are tense between you two?” Brivere asked.

Link rolled his eyes. “That’s putting it lightly, but sure. It’s a long, complicated story and I don’t know if we have enough time for me to explain it.”

“In that case, I will easily accept your apology.” Brivere said. “I appreciate that you went through so much trouble to try and alleviate my pain. I will be forever grateful for your efforts, please do not forget that.”

Nodding, Link closed his eyes and hummed as his leaned his head on the golden hand still clutched onto his shoulder. Both of them stood there for a long time until Brivere gently let go, straightening up. “I do believe that I was sent to find and retrieve you,” he teased gently. “Shall we head back to the throne room? My lord is awaiting your return, Hylian Champion.”

Link let out a weak laugh. “Dude, you and I have been fucking Sidon for well over a year now. You’d think that you’d be able to drop titles by now.” The Hylain’s eyebrows suddenly arched up and wiggled. “I mean, you do it easily enough in bed, at least that’s what Sidon says.”

Brivere flushed, thankful that the visor easily hid how flustered he was by Link’s words. “You are such a terror.” he said, walking out of the room’s silver archway.

A full, genuine laugh shook Link’s body as he ran up to Brivere’s side, lightly punching him in the arm. The golden knight shook it off with a hint of a smile on his lips. Both of them continued to walk in silence as Brivere led the way through the winding halls back to the throne room. But, as the moonlight shined through cracks in the pillars that blocked them from the outside world, the golden Zora couldn’t help but eye his Hylian friend from the corner of his visor, tracing his muscled arms and trailing up to soft blond hair that slightly moved in the breeze.

Had… Link always been this pleasing to look at?

And was it just his imagination, or was the Hylian looking back at him as well?

He shook the thoughts off when the two of them had finally reached the throne room. Glancing inside from the large silver archway, they were surprised to see that many of the council members from earlier had returned. Princess Zelda was clearly speaking to all of the Zora in the throne room, but her speech faltered as all eyes fell on the two as they entered.

Brivere straightened up and tried to walk towards Sidon who was standing by King Dorephan’s side, but the red prince shook his head and gestured for him to kneel in front of the throne near Princess Zelda. Hesitantly, he did so, awkwardly stiff as he knelt beside the princess. She seemed calm and polite, but his Hylian friend’s wariness of her had Brivere on edge. This was further emphasized when Link made a point to stand on the opposite side of the golden knight, as far away from the other Hylian as possible.

Princess Zelda’s soft gaze hardened when she saw her personal knight try to use Brivere’s body as some sort of golden wall to block her out, but surprisingly she didn’t say anything about it. Instead, she shook off her frustrations and turned back to King Dorephan, finishing her earlier speech. “And that is all the information and guidance that I have on the matter. What you do with my suggestion is up to you, and I will respect any decision you may make, but I implore you to follow my advice for the sake of your Domain.”

King Dorephan hummed as he nodded his head. “Your concern is not in vain. It is abundantly clear that our Oracle Knight should seek treatment in Kakariko Village.”

Brivere felt Link stiffen next to him as everyone else in the room mumbled in agreement. He cleared his throat, remembering his promise to his friend. “I apologize, your majesty, but may I object?”

Everyone gasped in surprise. Brivere cringed, knowing that there was no logical reason to not seek help other than his friend’s baseless suspicions. But if Link would place so much trust in him, then he would trust that his friend knew something suspicious was going on.

King Dorephan sadly shook his head. “I am afraid not Brivere. We are well aware of how much you put off seeking assistance from others. You must learn how to accept help and rely on others, for strength is not found by braving the world to a breaking point.”

“Brivere.” Sidon suddenly spoke up in a trembling voice next to his father. He seemed weak, tired of watching his lover allow himself to slowly fall apart, alone. Again. “Why do you not wish to accept the support of everyone who only wish for you to be better? Please, tell me - no, _us_ \- why you do not want to go to Kakariko Village. We only want to help, why can you not believe that?”

His heart sank at the sincere concern. “Well…” he said, looking to Link for support. Even if Link feared sharing his secrets, he should know that it would be the only thing that could possibly get them out of this mess. Instead, he was shocked to see his friend desperately staring back at him, vehemently shaking his head.

Frustration blossomed in Brivere’s chest. How was he supposed to keep his word if his friend wouldn’t even share his own?

Sidon let out a short, defeated sigh. “Brivere.”

Link kept staring back at him with a pleading look in his bright blue eyes.

“I-I… um.” he mumbled, trying to come up with the most excusable answer. “I do not believe my condition is bad enough to warrant a trip to Kakariko Village. It is far away and I will not be able to protect you from there. I promise that my eyes have been getting better and the visor is working well enough to alleviate any pain.”

His heart soared when Link snapped his head to look at him in surprise, genuinely grateful that Brivere had listened to his pleas. Sidon, however, was not as impressed.

“I am not the point of concern here, Brivere!” Sidon snapped, rubbing a clawed hand on his temple as his eyes shut tight in frustration. Everyone gawked at the usually upbeat prince, who almost always donned a bright, wide smile that shouted words of encouragement.

The large red Zora slid his hand down his face before his golden eyes snapped open. “If you truly wish for me to be selfish, then so be it. The only way I will allow you to protect and serve me is if you are in peak physical condition. As crown prince, I will accept no less.”

“Sidon!” Link blurted out, lurching towards the prince. “He doesn’t have to go to Kakariko Village! I know that I have been gone for a while trying to find treatment, but I really found this good healer in-!”        

“That is it!” Sidon snapped. “Both of you will cease this nonsense immediately!”

Link and Brivere gaped at the large red Zora. In that moment it was clear that he was not their shared lover. He was Prince Sidon, commanding his Oracle Knight to obey his commands.

“Oracle Knight Brivere.” Prince Sidon said sternly. Brivere flinched at the edge in his prince’s words, anger dripping off of the freakishly calm tone of voice. “This is _not_ up for discussion. It is clear that your condition is only getting worse, and I have made this decision out of concern for your health as you refuse to take care of your own wellbeing.”

His golden eyes narrowed. “You will follow Princess Zelda to Kakariko Village and receive treatment for your eyes, along with help controlling your abilities. Is that clear?”

Brivere gulped and stiffened when every eye in the room was suddenly on him. He could see Link staring him down from the side of his visor, gaze pleading and desperate. His younger brother and Betaal were still awkwardly bowed beside their prince, but he could see their bodies twitching in apprehension. All of the other nobles in the throne room and Princess Zelda were boring holes into his visor, absolutely daring him to speak out against the royal family in defiance.

It was clear what the choice was. Either listen to his trusted friend’s suspicions or obey the man that he had sworn his life to protect.

Prince Sidon crossed his arms, glare hardening. “Oracle Knight! Is. That. Clear.”

With a shaky breath, Brivere made his decision.

“Yes, my lord.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh fuk brivere, way to be a drama queen lmao  
> from here on out we are riding the ot3 train and developing some good ol link/brivere  
> or as i call em, two bananas


	8. Trust and Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Zelda leads a group of Zora to Kakariko Village, with the intention of helping the Oracle Knight find a cure for his deformed eyes and gain better control of his ability to see the future. Brivere’s newfound trust with Link has been shaken, and neither are sure if they can recover from it. Problems arise when Brivere has a troubling vision and later a nightmare, both hinting at something ominous to come.
> 
> (A fic for the sidlink fic Coma Baby, a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3 (tumblr: @banishfics / @banishedone), and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don’t need to read the whole series to get what’s going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything! I also post all chapters on my AO3 account BunnyBob!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren’t trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

Brivere tensely glided through the water with the Hylian Champion sitting on his back, legs clenched around his chest. No one was saying anything, not Link, not the other Zora guards ordered to accompany them, not even Princess Zelda as she followed them along the river on top of Crazy Girl. And although his younger brother was mute, even Estuu was unusually on edge as he swam next to Brivere.

It was obvious as to why everyone was so restless. All of them had been there when the usually gentle Prince Sidon had harshly ordered that Brivere was to go to Kakariko Village for treatment. And while none of them had personally witnessed the fight that had occurred between the prince and the Hylian Champion when Link had dragged the red Zora off afterwards, it was obvious from the way the two of them glared at each other from across the throne room before Brivere’s departure.

Link technically wasn’t supposed to be with them anyways. Apparently, he had tried to talk Sidon out of sending the golden knight away. But because he couldn’t provide any real explanation as to why and refused to tell his secrets, Prince Sidon had quickly gotten frustrated and had ordered the Hylian off of the entourage.

He was only on Brivere’s back at the moment because he had met them near the river and claimed that he needed a ride to Kakariko Village completely by coincidence. Zelda was just too tired to argue.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Princess Zelda slowed Crazy Girl down and signaled for the Zora in the water to stop. Apparently, aside from Link, Zelda was the only other person to have some control over the psychotic horse. Perhaps even Crazy Girl could sense the authoritative and holy aura that the princess always gave off.

Bazz nodded at her and quickly stopped, treading water. “Alright! On the command of the Princess we will stop here for the night!”

“Yes sir!” the soldiers chanted back. Noticeably, Estuu, Link, and Brivere were the only ones in the river who didn’t respond. One of them was mute, the other one was a Hylian and thus technically not under Bazz’s command, and the other was fairly pissed.

Admittedly, Brivere was less than amused that the Guard Captain had been put in charge of the expedition along with Zelda, instead of himself. The two of them still had an awkward relationship thanks to their past interactions, with Brivere and Estuu not giving medical aid to Bazz’s now dead friend and Bazz not giving proper rations for Estuu’s sensitive dietary needs. So technically, their dickish moves evened out.

But that had been a long time ago, and they had now settled into a more professional persona when around each other. Also, Bazz was apparently a childhood friend of Link and the two of them were very close as a result.

No, the irritation lay more with Prince Sidon.

While he appreciated Sidon’s concern, Brivere was annoyed that the prince had suddenly pulled a power move and used his position to force him to go to Kakariko Village against his wishes. Prince Sidon also wasn’t listening to him or Link, absolutely stubborn and stuck on his decision. Sure, maybe they weren’t exactly providing the most precise answers, but he could at least _try_ and sense that something wrong was going on.

“Do you need help, Oracle Knight?” one of the soldiers asked, holding a clawed hand out to Brivere. He remembered her always working in the palace, coincidentally being everywhere he was. They often had casual conversation, which many people never gave the reserved golden knight, so he remembered her name out of politeness.

He shook his head. “No, but I appreciate the offer, Alon.” he grunted as he pulled himself out of the water. That was the other thing that bothered him. When Prince Sidon had told the other guards to follow them to Kakariko Village, apparently he had made Brivere’s condition seem much worse than it actually was.

It was clear when Alon nodded but still held her arms out, hovering around Brivere as if she was afraid that he would collapse any second. He almost lashed out and smacked her hands away but then he remembered that it wasn’t her fault.

Looking over at Link, he didn’t know _whose_ fault it was.

Sure, maybe the prince was being a bit too cautious for his liking. But they wouldn’t have even been in this mess if Link had just come forward and told Sidon about his immortality and skepticism towards the Sheikah and Princess Zelda.

Link raised an eyebrow, catching the golden knight’s stare. “Something wrong?”

“…No.” Brivere said curtly, turning to walk over to a nearby tree. He slumped up against the rough bark and slid down to sit on the dirt ground, trying to ignore how the other soldiers were glancing over at him in concern. Estuu plopped down right next to him, already cracking open his copy of _The Cursed Girl._

Shrugging, the Hylian sauntered over to sit down in front of the brothers. “You know,” he said, absentmindedly dragging his fingers through the dirt, “we’d already be there by now if _someone_ wouldn’t be so stuck up and pretentious about our transportation methods.”

Brivere sighed. He still didn’t understand the tension between Link and Zelda, and while he wanted to trust his friend, he also didn’t want to have preconceived notions about the princess without getting to know her and her side first. “It is alright. While Zora can swim fast we still tire out. Having a rest stop for the night will recover our strength to continue our journey tomorrow.”

“Yeah, but you guys are literally fish people made for the water!” Link cried out, throwing his hands into the air. “We could be resting for the night in Kakariko Village if you guys were just allowed to swim as fast as you usually do!”

“Yes, but we must accommodate for Princess Zelda.”

“She can just ride on your backs like I do! I sat on Sidon’s back while taking out Vah Ruta, for Hylia’s sake, she could easily go down a river!” Link looked back over at the Princess, who was trying to tie Crazy Girl to a tree and failing miserably. “She won’t even let Crazy Girl go wild! My lady could probably get there even before you guys could.”

Brivere tittered, trying to ease his friend’s anger. “I have no doubts of that. She nearly trampled Prince Sidon when I asked you to battle him so long ago.”

A wide smile stretched across Link’s face at the memory. “Wish she could do it again, really. Wipe the smug look off of his face.”

“...Are you two going to be alright?” Brivere hesitantly asked. “I heard you had quite the argument and I would hate for your side of the relationship to be in ruins because of me.”

Link sighed and aggressively raked his fingers through his blond hair. “It’s fine, you’re not the one in the wrong. I guess it’s my fault. After all, this whole situation is because of me. I still haven’t told him about the whole immortality thing yet.”

Brivere stiffened up and glanced over at his younger brother, who didn’t even look up from his book. Catching onto his apprehension, Link leaned in. “It’s fine. Estuu knows. I told him _way_ before I told you, when you made me follow him around to see where he went when he skipped class.”

“That was years ago!” Brivere exclaimed, ogling his younger brother. Estuu flicked his golden eyes up and shrugged before returning his focus to the book in his hands.

Link laughed. “Yup. I also asked him to shoot me in the head with an arrow to test it out.” Brivere’s jaw dropped open as he scanned the Hylian’s rugged face for a scar or any trace of evidence.

“It’s fine, he didn’t actually do it.” Link admitted.

Brivere shook off the Hylian’s casual display of recklessness and silently thanked his brother for not partaking in it. He supposed that he could understand. If Link was actually immortal, there would be no harm in trying to test out its limits.

But as the three of them continued to silently sit there, doubt began to creep into his mind. He glanced over Link’s body, trying to see if there was any hint of past brushes with death. It didn’t help that the Hylian’s muscled body was covered with wounds, some of them so old that they were already faded, while others were fresh and still bleeding a little. But this was to be expected, as the Hylian was a fearsome warrior that picked a fight with anything that happened to move and sometimes even things that didn’t.

Although he had promised to trust Link, Brivere wished that he at least had _some_ sort of undeniable proof to back up the Hylian’s claims of immortality. He did find it suspicious that he kept having visions of the Hylian dying, and unlike similar visions of watching others perish, Link would somehow just reappear and continue along the web of fate. But Brivere wasn’t certain if this was actually a sign of immortality or just a mistake due to a lack of control over his ability to see the future. And not only did Link insist that he couldn’t die, but it was also a power forced on him by crazed Sheikah scientists. Apparently it had damaged his friend both physically and psychologically until he nearly went insane.

And now they were headed to Kakariko Village to ask for help from said crazy scientists, who would be given full medical control of the golden knight’s body.

As much as Brivere wanted to believe in his Hylian friend, he silently hoped that this would be one thing that Link was wrong about.

;

Nighttime had fallen by the time they had finished setting up camp, which was really just two shoddily set up tents for the Hylians near the river where the Zora soldiers would sleep. Brivere sat by the edge of the water, silently watching his younger brother’s scarlet body bob gently beneath the surface.

It was fairly quiet at this point of the night. Most of the soldiers were already sleeping in the water, their black and blue scales shining in the moonlight. Guard Captain Bazz and a couple other guards were on the first watch shift. Princess Zelda had turned in early, and Link was not far away as he talked to Crazy Girl, which made him seem crazy as well since he was casually chatting with an angry horse.

Yet even in the calm lull, Brivere couldn’t help but feel the scales on the back of his neck prickle, as if a hand was closing around his throat. He quickly whipped around, aggressively pointing his longsword at a shadowy form approaching him from behind.

“Oracle Knight!” Alon yelped, holding up her clawed hands. “I am so sorry to disturb your peace!”

Brivere frowned and quickly retracted his blade. “No, I should be the one to apologize. You have done nothing wrong, Alon.”

A shy smile stretched across the black Zora’s face. “Ah! You remembered my name! I am so honored!”

“Of course. You have always been a dedicated soldier and you were even polite enough to hold casual conversation with me back at the palace when many others would not.”

Alon’s head tail wagged excitedly in response. “I am so honored to receive such praise from the Oracle Knight! Please, may I sit next to you if it is no trouble?”

Brivere nodded, patting the ground next to him. She quickly plopped down into the dirt, putting her legs in the water and eagerly kicking them around. Nothing about Alon stood out except for her energetic personality, which clashed against the serious way that most Zora soldiers carried themselves. Other than that, she easily blended into the crowd being of average height and body width. Even her black scales were a common color amongst most soldiers her rank.

Both of them quietly sat there for a few moments, letting the sound of gentle currents hold a conversation in their place. Finally, Alon spoke up, turning to Brivere with her golden eyes shining with curiosity.

“So!” she said. “I do not intend to be rude, but can you truly see the future?”

Brivere stared back at her in confusion. “Yes?” he replied hesitantly. “I would not have this position otherwise.”

“Sorry, sorry!” she yelped, quickly smacking a hand to her face. “I apologize! Of course, that is so obvious!” They fell into an awkward silence before she tilted her head back up again, peering at him from the corner of her eye. “I suppose that I just worded it wrong. Forgive my rudeness, I was actually just trying to ask how the process works.”

Humming, Brivere relaxed his shoulders. “It is quite hard to explain. I do not believe that I am the best person to speak of it, as I do not have full control of my ability yet.”

Her head snapped to look directly at him. “Nonsense! While you may not have full control yet, I am confident that you will eventually! In the meantime, may you tell me what it feels like?”

Brivere hesitated before giving in and responding. It was hard not to get caught up in Alon’s infectious excitement. “I suppose… the closest I can compare it to is the water, but perhaps that is due to me being a Zora and so I am be biased.” Alon giggled at this, making him ease up a little more. “It depends on how much control I have. Images will crash around in my mind, and I can either allow them to drown me or gently carry me around. Those images melt into scenes of the future. But it becomes overwhelming when they all play at the same time, lapping over each other. I am working on becoming more focused.”

Alon nodded thoughtfully, humming as her legs continued to kick in the water. “If it is not too much to ask, may you give me a demonstration?” Alon politely asked.

If it were anyone else, Brivere would have been fed up and annoyed with the conversation at this point. But Alon’s genuinely pure curiosity swayed him, and he found himself nodding slightly. “I cannot guarantee that it will immediately work. But I will try.”

The black Zora quickly nodded her head, retracting her legs from the river and curling into a ball as she quietly stared at Brivere with wide eyes. He chuckled at her childlike wonder before closing his own.

He reached a clawed hand to touch his father’s choker. Technically, any physical touch with the silver collar would send him into a downward spiral of overwhelming visions, but he wore normal armor underneath to allow him to wear it without having a mental breakdown. Brivere didn’t necessarily wear the choker to show off his title as Oracle Knight but rather because he wanted to have a piece of his father with him at all times.

As expected, the usual flurry of images crashed into his mind. No matter how many times he had done this, it never lessened in its intensity. He quickly focused on the first scene he could find, trying to soak in the information before he collapsed from the effort.

Alon flinched when Brivere’s hand suddenly shot down from the collar and his head flew back. “Are you alright?!” she exclaimed, grabbing onto his shoulders. “I am so sorry! This is my fault!” He waved her away, blinking his eyes to adjust to the darkness inside of his visor.

Pointing a clawed finger out to the river, Brivere grunted. “A red fish is going to jump out of the water over there.”

Snapping her head to where he was gesturing at, Alon stared wide-eyed at the water, waiting for something to pop out. Several moments passed as an awkward silence fell over them. She opened her mouth to ask something, but the words were caught in her throat as a bright red fish gracefully leaped out of the water and splashed back in.

“Amazing!” she cried out. “You are a gift from Hylia herself!”

Brivere flushed, unused to such praise. “…Thank you.”

She quickly turned back to him with a wide grin stretched across her face. Something about it seemed unsettling. “This is simply a miracle! Your gift will prove to be very useful! I do not understand why you waste your talents on the royal family and those Hylians!”

Brivere scowled and abruptly stood up. “Do _not_ speak of my lord like that.” he spat, turning to walk away. Alon shot up onto her feet and ran in front of him, a crazed look in her eyes that made the smile across her face seem extremely disturbing. “You are wasting your time here! You literally have the power to predict the future, yet you continue to bow to a useless royal line because of their blood?! Princess Zelda and the rest of those Hylians have deeply mislead you!”

“I will not tolerate such slander!” Brivere snapped back. “Alon, what has gotten into-!”

The words were cut off when images suddenly slammed into his mind the second that Alon grabbed onto his wrist. “You must simply come with me!” she cried, tightening her grip. “We can show you your true potential!”

_Panic. Darkness. Bananas. Pain. Shock._

Brivere roared, whipping out his sword and randomly slicing it through the air. He didn’t realize what he had done until Bazz ran over, covering the open wound on Alon’s arm with a cloth.

“What in Hylia’s name happened?!” the Guard Captain cried out.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Alon cut him off. “It is my fault, Guard Captain! I startled the Oracle Knight while he was having a vision and he accidentally lashed out!”

Bazz looked over at the golden knight with disgust. “No Alon, you are not at fault.”

Brivere stared back at the Guard Captain. “That is not what happened.”

“Then do you care to explain yourself?”

Brivere grunted, trying to keep his usual straight face. “Alon asked me to demonstrate my ability, and I obliged. Out of nowhere, she began to slander the royal family and Princess Zelda, then tried to grab me and pull me away. But when she touched me, I had a vision and…”

Bazz’s brow shot up. “And? What was the vision of?”

He cringed. “It is hard to explain. But I do know that Alon is not to be trusted.”

The Guard Captain let out a long sigh and rubbed his temple. “Oracle Knight,” he said, exasperated. “I have known Alon ever since we were children. While we were not exactly close friends, she was a pleasant acquaintance that went through the same military training as I did. She is as dedicated to the Royal Family as the rest of us.”

Brivere stepped forward, trying to convince him of the truth. “No, but she-!”

Bazz held a hand up. “It is alright, Oracle Knight. Prince Sidon warned us that this may happen. We were all well aware of your condition when we signed up for this.”

He let out an incredulous laugh. “Oh? And what is that condition?”

“The eyes, for one thing. Mental breakdowns, passing out, aggression, hallucinations, the like. You most likely just imagined the whole thing and accidentally attacked the first person who came near you, which is why we must get you to Kakariko Village immediately. Not just for your safety but for everyone else around you as well.”

Brivere glared at the other Zora. “I. Did. Not. Imagine. It.” he spat. Bazz glared back and stepped closer, making their brows nearly touch. A growl hummed in their chests as they stared directly into each other’s golden eyes, daring the other Zora to make the first retort. Alon glanced at both of them, trying to come up with something to diffuse the situation.

“What’s going on here?”

The three Zora turned to look at Link, who had suddenly appeared by their side, brow raised. “Master Link,” Bazz said, kneeling down on one knee to come to eye level. “The Oracle Knight has had an episode due to his powers and accidentally lashed out at one of our soldiers.”

“I told you that was not what occurred!” Brivere snapped. “I used my ability, yes, but she started babbling about nonsense and insulting the royal family. When she grabbed me, I had a vision. She is not to be trusted.”

Bazz rolled his golden eyes. “Yet he will not share exactly what the vision entailed, so you can see why I am a bit skeptical, Master Link.”

Link looked at both of them, and Brivere’s heart sank at the thought that his Hylian friend didn’t believe him. “Bazz, make a medical tent for her and heal her wounds.” Link said, pointing to a clearing off to the side. The Guard Captain nodded and gently led Alon away, eyeing Brivere as he left.

“Hylian Champion…” Brivere said, hesitantly. “You believe me, don’t you?

He hated how long it took for Link to barely nod his head. “Come back to my tent for tonight, Brivere.” he urged.

Anger flared up in his chest. “No. I refuse. Why did you not defend me when the Guard Captain accused me of being insane?”

“Because I knew that it wouldn’t do anything!” Link hissed back. “No one is going to believe us if we don’t have concrete evidence! I should know, Sidon would barely listen to me when I tried to get us out of this mess!”

Brivere’s mask was as cold as ever. “And what good that did. You didn’t even tell my lord about your immortality or suspicions of the Sheikah scientists! Do you not trust your own lover with such crucial information?”

Link grunted. “That’s not it. I trust Sidon whole-heartedly. He was the first person I could ever open up to and actually care about after I woke up from my coma.”

“Then why am _I_ the only one who knows about your immortality aside from my younger brother and the Sheikah scientists who gave it to you?!” Brivere spat back.

The Hylian glanced down, suddenly interested in the mud clinging to his boots. “Look,” he said quietly. “The problem isn’t my trust in Sidon. It’s Sidon’s reckless trust in everyone else.”

Brivere arched his brow, forgetting that the gesture would be obscured by his visor. “What do you mean?”

“Admittedly, it’s one of the few flaws that I absolutely despise about him.” Link said. “He is way too trusting and nice for his own good. All you have to do is simply exist and that idiot is willing to put everything on the line just for you.”

The golden Zora nodded. It certainly was one of the more infuriating aspects of being Prince Sidon’s personal knight. He was forced to watch his beloved prince get taken advantage of by too many people who just wanted to abuse his kindness. The large red dork once even tried to get rid of a Lynel by peacefully negotiating with it.

But they both knew that they couldn’t hold that trait against the prince. If it wasn’t for Sidon’s patience and boundless love then neither of them would have ever been given the time of day, or even be dating him at the same time, no less.  

“And that’s just the problem.” the Hylian continued. “I know that if I tell him, he will believe me. But then he will believe Zelda, and then King Dorephan, and everyone else who tells him otherwise. He is too gentle to say no and too naïve to believe that there are more sinister things lurking within those you least expect. Sidon just took the offer for medical help at face value and didn’t even investigate into it further.”

Both of them stared at each other as the question that had been blazing inside of Brivere for days finally came to a roaring crescendo, becoming an inferno that threatened to burn him alive if he didn’t set it free.

“Link.” he said carefully. “What exactly made you decide to trust me so much in the first place? What makes me so different from my lord?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question and the rare use of his name from the golden knight, Link hummed as he racked his brain for answers. Finally, a shuddering sigh deflated his small form as he looked back up at Brivere. “I guess it’s just because I know that you’re just like me.”

“…How so?” Brivere asked. “May you please elaborate?”

Link grunted, raking his dirty fingers through tangles of blond hair. “You and I aren’t like Sidon. We are broken beyond repair and can barely show genuine kindness like he can.”

The golden knight tittered. “Am I supposed to take this as a compliment or something?”

A smirk stretched across the Hylian’s face. “No, asshole. I’m just trying to say that we have been fucked over so many times that we have built up a wall to keep everyone out. To stop them from hurting us and leaving our bloody corpses out for the bokoblins.”

Brivere nodded. He couldn’t argue against the truth. His own infamous emotionless mask was already all of the evidence that he needed.

“I know that we didn’t have the best start.” Link admitted. “I punched you straight off a bridge once for Hylia’s sake. But after that, I watched us slowly take down each other’s walls, brick by brick. And I like the Brivere that I found hiding underneath all of the fancy silver jewelry and armor.”

He had always waited for the perfect moment to quote Betaal’s favorite comeback. “Are you going to finish sucking my dick first or are you going to get to your point?” Brivere asked, trying to keep a straight face.

His indifferent mask cracked when Link’s blue eyes flew wide open as he gawked at the usually stern golden knight, jaw agape. Both of them let out low, muffled chuckles that exploded into full-on laughter that shook their bodies and nearly toppled them onto the ground.

“Look!” Link wheezed between gasps for air. “I’m just trying to say that trust doesn’t come easily to either of us. So I knew that if I told you my suspicions, your trust would be genuine. Your trust just like mine. It takes a lot to earn it, but once you do, it’s the strongest damn thing in the world.”

As both of them settled down, Brivere repeated his friend’s words over and over again in his mind. He couldn’t help but agree with the Hylian’s statements. The golden knight could easily count the number of people he completely trusted on Estuu’s only hand, but he knew that he would do anything for each and every one of them.

And the Hylian Champion was included in that count.

Link was the first to recover from his fit of giggles, straightening up as he patted Brivere on the arm. “Do you trust me enough to not stab you in your sleep if you sleep in my tent tonight?”

Chuckling, Brivere nodded. “I trust you.”

;

_A sickeningly white mask._

_A blood red symbol branded into its surface._

_An upside down eye._

_A single tear falling upwards._

_A shining blade, plunging into bright blue eyes._

Brivere shot up into a sitting position, breaking out into a cold sweat as he gasped for breath. A lightning bolt of pain shot through his back, as if someone had sliced into his skin along his spine. His eyes were burning in his skull as they frantically searched the inside of the canvas tent for something.

 _Someone_.

His sudden movement woke instantly woke up Link, who grabbed onto the golden knight’s shoulder. “Brivere!” he exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

Without responding, Brivere smacked the Hylian’s hand away, scrambling to grab his silver scale longsword before bolting out of the tent. Link sat paralyzed on the cot, staring after him in confusion before his senses caught up to reality.

“Brivere!” he screamed, tossing aside the sheets to run after him.

The golden knight didn’t hear the Hylian’s shouts behind him, his senses completely taken over by something else. It felt the same as when he was asleep. His body was out of his control and it felt like he was just watching himself from afar, as if he _wasn’t_ the golden Zora that was desperately running through the woods. He didn’t know what exactly he was looking for, but all he knew was that it needed to reveal itself immediately.

Zora soldiers that were sleeping in the river shot up at the Hylian’s shouts, ogling Brivere as he sprinted past them. Bazz’s eyes went wide as he realized where exactly the Oracle Knight was heading. “He’s going to Alon’s medical tent!” he shouted as he pulled himself out of the water. “Restrain him before he hurts her again!”

“Yes sir!” they shouted, following after the Guard Captain.

Everyone was now chasing the hysterical Oracle Knight, who was running towards the medical tent like his life depended on it. And as far as he knew, it really did.

Alon jumped in her makeshift bed as Brivere tore the feeble tent down from the trees, exposing her to the open night air. “Oracle Knight!” she yelped. “Please, what are you-!”

Brivere cut her off as he pointed his longsword to her throat, pressing its sharp edge into her scales until a little bit of blood trickled out from under them.

“I will not hesitate to kill if you do not immediately reveal yourself.” he growled.

His distorted eyes pierced into her golden ones from the slits of his visor, seeing the eerie calm that hid beneath her mask of faked fear. He was so focused on it that he completely ignored the Zora soldiers that were still rushing towards him from behind.

“Oracle Knight Brivere!” the Guard Captain shouted. “Cease this at once!”

Bazz would have tackled the wild golden knight to the ground if his Hylian friend hadn’t done that exact same thing to the black Zora first. Both of them slammed into the dirt with Link on top of him, and before Bazz could say anything, a hand was roughly pressed onto his shoulder, pinning him down. The other guards ran around them, still charging at Brivere.

“Call off the other soldiers Bazz!” Link screamed in his face.

“But the Oracle Kni-!”

Link smashed his fist into the ground next to the Guard Captain’s head. “Now, Bazz!”

The black Zora gulped. “All soldiers stand down!” he hesitantly shouted.

They all immediately stopped, looking back at the Hylian Champion, who was still holding their Guard Captain down. Even Brivere looked over his shoulder, trying to see what was going on. “But sir!” one of them yelled back. “The Oracle Knight is not in his right mind! His condition has only worsened and has corrupted him!”

Link got up from Bazz’s chest with a blazing glare, making them all flinch. “Have more faith in him!” he scowled at them. “He is one of the strongest warriors in the Zora Domain, with the ability to see the future, for Hylia’s sake!”

He then turned to focus on the golden knight ahead of them, whose sword was still drawn to the cowering woman beneath its sharp point. “Brivere!” he yelled. “Do what you believe is right! I’ll back you up!” Gratitude blossomed in the golden knight’s chest at his friend’s absolute trust.

Alon gaped at the other soldiers, who were all hesitantly twitching in place. “You guys!” she cried out, eyes wide. “The Oracle Knight has gone insane! Prince Sidon warned us of this, you have to help me! He’s going to kill me!”

None of them moved, save for their eyes glancing back at the infuriated Hylian Champion that glared them all down, effectively anchoring them into the dirt. Even Bazz slowly got up, nodding at Brivere to continue.

Confidence soared through the golden knight’s body as he nodded back, turning to glare down the blade at the cowering woman trapped beneath it. “Last chance.” he said in a frighteningly steady voice, pushing the sword a little deeper into her throat, not enough to cause too much damage but just enough to make the threat clear as day.

He could feel the weapon in his hands tremble from how hard Alon was shaking. It almost made him reconsider his brash actions, but the way that her golden eyes were completely calm made him all the more sure that he was doing the right thing.

“Oracle Knight!” she yelped, holding her hands up. “Please, it’s just me, Alon! Snap out of it!”

“I had a vision. You are not Alon.”

At this, her face contorted, quickly switching from fear to amusement. “Oh.” she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. It felt like syrup, disgustingly slithering around in his head. “I suppose I should have anticipated that. Then again, isn’t that your whole thing?”

Alon slowly stood up, still allowing Brivere’s sword to pierce her neck as she rose. She smirked at him, staring down the blade at him as if it was just a minor inconvenience. “You think you are the one to make demands here?” she purred. “I think I’m the one in charge, really. I’ll even give you a choice: either you come with me willingly or I take you by force. No matter your reply I still intend to bring you to the rest of my clan.”

Brivere reeled his sword back before harshly slashing at Alon. She disappeared into a puff of smoke and reappeared behind him.

“BRIVERE!” Link screamed. The other Zora soldiers all stared in shock as Alon’s body suddenly transformed into that of a smaller warrior covered in black cloth, with a white mask bearing the red symbol of an upside-down crying eye obscuring their face.

The golden Zora quickly whipped around, slicing at the imposter who simply danced away, forcing Brivere to follow them as they nimbly dodged his attacks.

“All soldiers assist and protect the Oracle Knight!” Bazz shouted.

“Yes sir!” The guards yelled back in unison, rushing forward with their silver spears pointed at the new threat. Link charged as well, drawing out his sword and screaming a ferocious battle cry.

The imposter looked back at the stampeding soldiers, and although the mask covered their face, it was obvious that they were amused. They looked back at Brivere and continued to weave between his attacks.

“Will you come with me or not?!” they gleefully shouted, ducking under his sword.

He scowled back, swinging his weapon even harder. “Never! My life lies with the royal family and Prince Sidon of the Zora Domain!”

“Then don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Before Brivere could process their words, the other warrior had whipped out a shock arrow from behind their back and stabbed it into his arm.

As he felt his body seize from the electric currents, fire blazing through his veins, he could see Link and the other Zora soldiers still running at them with panic branded into their faces.

“Brivere!“

The golden knight tried to stay standing for as long as he could, but eventually lost control of his body and felt himself begin to collapse. Before he could hit the ground, the imposter reeled back and launched onto Brivere’s stomach, knocking all the air out of his lungs as they both disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can you feel the OT3 train?  
> its chuggin along yall  
> anyways, Alon is my own character, but she isnt supposed to stand out much. a yiga clanswoman blending in and all that. Her name is just wave in tagalog, my own language, because im unoriginal


	9. Banana Loving Motherfuckers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being kidnapped from Princess Zelda’s entourage, Brivere must wait for help and try not to give into the demands of the Yiga Clan, no matter how much it hurts. But their unorthodox methods of trying to strengthen his abilities may be the very thing that destroys him.
> 
> (A fic for the sidlink fic Coma Baby, a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3 (tumblr: @banishfics / @banishedone), and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don’t need to read the whole series to get what’s going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything! I also post all chapters on my AO3 account BunnyBob!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren’t trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

When Brivere awoke, he immediately started drowning.

Well, not exactly.

The water he was floating in was just extremely dirty, with particles of rock and dust floating around and clouding his vision. The near darkness of his surroundings didn’t help either.

As he tried to regain consciousness, he absentmindedly wondered if this was how Link felt when he swam. The golden knight didn’t dare to think about him any further than that.

It wasn't that he couldn't breathe altogether. The dirty water just made it extremely difficult, as if he was taking shallow breaths in a cloud of smoke. His scales felt itchy as bits of dirt flowed in and out, and his lungs burned from the effort.

He quickly swam around, trying to get to the surface but instead immediately bumping into a rock. When he instinctively reached his hands out to steady himself, they ran into a rough wall. Brivere realized that he was in a rock pit, so narrow that he couldn't even stretch his arms out all the way. Gripping onto the sides of the hole, he dragged his weak body through the water towards the faint light above.

Brivere broke through the surface and gasped for breath, thankful that Zora were made for both water and land. The fresh air helped him slowly regain his senses, and he quickly realized just how fucked he was.

Just as he had deduced, he was in a pit. The edges of the hole were too high above to reach, and even if he somehow managed to grab onto them, he wouldn't be able to drag himself out anyways. Shock arrows carefully lined the border, making it clear that even if he tried, he would just be electrocuted and likely collapse all over again.

Brivere's stomach dropped as he examined the people who were peering over the ledge just behind the electric barrier. They looked exactly like the monsters that he had seen in his vision, all of them impossible to tell apart as they each wore the same uniform: black clothes with red designs and a white mask that obscured their face, a blood red symbol depicting an upside-down crying eye branded into the smooth surface. All of them were noticeably crouched down except for one, who was standing triumphantly with their arms crossed.

"Ah! Finally, you're awake!" she said.

Recognition flared through his body. Brivere's eyes narrowed. "You." he hissed.

"Yup, me!" she laughed. "Sorry about the condition of the pit. Out in the middle of the desert there's not really a lot of water, so we just filled up the nearest hole we could find."

Fear shot through his heart. The desert? That could only be in the Gerudo Wastelands. There was no way that he could be that far away from where he was kidnapped in such a short amount of time unless he had been passed out for weeks. And if he _was_ that far out, then there was no way the others could find him unless they combed all of Hyrule.

"I demand to know where you have taken me." Brivere spat.

Although he couldn't see her eyes, it was easy to tell that they were lit up with joy. The masked person dramatically threw her head back, snapping out her arms to gesture at her surroundings. "Welcome to the Yiga Clan hideout!"

At this, the other warriors whooped and hollered, pumping their gloved fists into the air. The one talking to him bowed several times to the cheering crowd before focusing back on the golden knight. "And I am the one who brought you to our humble abode! For convenience sake, you can keep calling me Alon. After all," she paused, voice turning sickly sweet, "we will be working together quite a bit from now on."

He glared back up at her. “Do you care to explain what you mean?”

“I would be honored!” Fake Alon laughed. “Simply put, I am part of the Yiga Clan. We are the true warriors of justice, striking down the corrupt and selfish!”

Her words rang through Brivere’s head, triggering a memory that resurfaced in his mind. “I remember now from my studies. You are the deplorable group that pledged your allegiance to Calamity Ganon, murdering anyone who opposed you or your ruler.”

The Yiga warriors above all shrieked with laughter. “Deplorable, he says!” Fake Alon howled, slapping her knee. She suddenly went rigid and intimidatingly stared back down at him. “The only deplorable ones are Hylians. You understand, right? We’re really the same, you and us. Both of us have special talents that others just leech off of for their own desires, and the second that they are afraid of us or think we have no use, they just throw us aside.”

Brivere cringed. He could still remember the way that Bazz had fearfully looked at him as if he had finally snapped, attacking fake Alon back at the river. Or the way that the upper class had tormented his family for nearly a century, but had suddenly bowed down to him the second it was revealed that he had special abilities.

“That much is true,” he admitted. “But that is where the similarities end. Unlike you, I have decided to use my abilities to prove them all wrong, all while helping and protecting others. I refuse to use my power to assist you in harming anyone for as long as I continue to serve my lord.”

“You’re such a waste of potential!” Fake Alon giggled. “Such a gift could give you full control of Hyrule, yet you continue to kneel down to that joke of a prince.”

Brivere glared back. “Do _not_ slander my lord.”

“Really, all royalty is the same.” she continued, shrugging off his threat. “They expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter just because some uncaring goddess deemed them lucky enough to have a drop of royal blood in them.”

“And so you infiltrated our Domain and faked the existence of a Zora woman named Alon for over a century just to get near the same royalty you despise?” he asked.

"On no, don't worry." she replied, false sincerity dripping off of her venomous words. "You had genuine interactions with Alon for several months before I killed her to observe you."

His heart dropped. "…I beg your pardon?"

"Do you not know how the masks work?" Fake Alon asked, pulling out a mask from behind her back. It was smooth and white, with frozen gold eyes and a taut mouth that altogether resembled the face of a paralyzed Zora woman. "You need to trap the soul of a person into it before they die. The wearer gains their appearance and any abilities associated with their race."

As if to prove her point, she snapped the mask on, and Brivere watched in horror as she quickly morphed into a familiar black Zora. His stomach churned at the thought that Alon used to be a real Zora, an energetic warrior that was nice enough to give him the time of day. Even if their small talks had been brief, it was much more than anyone else had ever given him, aside from a few others.

And now she was gone.

He roared and dove back into the water, quickly swimming down and whipping around to launch himself out of the water. His fingers clawed at the edges of the pit, careful to not touch the shock arrows that lined it.

 The Yiga clan warriors reeled back in surprise, whipping out their weapons. Fake Alon’s arm shot out to hold them back while her other hand grabbed a glowing weapon and slammed the hilt of it into his fingers. He fell back into the water with a shout and looked back up to see what Fake Alon was smugly waving around.

An electric wizzrobe’s lightning rod.

Even from this far below the edge, Brivere could still see the sparks of light crackling on the wand’s surface. Little bolts of lightning shot out of it, making the air around him buzz with malicious energy.

Fake Alon caught the fear that flashed across his face. “Guess I can say you’re pretty _shocked_ , huh?” she chortled. A couple of her comrades groaned. “Anyways. I’m tired of this back and forth, you know? I gave you the chance to cooperate, so you can’t say that I didn’t. Since you’re so insistent on being ruled over by others, I command that you listen to us. Or else.”

She held up the lightning rod over the pit, pointing it directly at Brivere. “Man, the tables sure have turned, huh?”

He glowered back at her. “I refuse. You and I both know that you cannot kill me if you intend to abuse my powers.”

Fake Alon laughed. “Who said anything about killing? I know how long Zora can last with different types of electrical weapons.” Her voice suddenly dropped, as she whispered venomous. “After all, I tested each one of them out on Alon. How do you think I got the mask?”

Brivere’s body went numb as he bobbed in the dirty water. Without thinking, he retreated back under the surface, swimming lower and lower until he got to the bottom.

He let out a frustrated howl, bubbles erupting from his mouth as he angrily punched at the rocks that trapped him there, not stopping until his fists bled. The fury quickly wore him out, and he slowly curled into himself, becoming a golden ball that floated in the filthy water.

Brivere just wanted this nightmare to stop. He had kept so many emotions bottled up inside of him that he was bursting at the seams, all of them threatening to tear his sanity apart. In most situations, he would have refused to back down and would have fought himself out of the mess he found himself in. But he was just so tired, so fed up with the people around him getting hurt because of his cursed blessing from an unforgiving god.

He could barely hear the muffled shouts of the Yiga Clan Warriors above, demanding him to resurface and obey their commands. Instead, he continued to float there. Brivere knew that they couldn’t swim down this far and get him. They also wouldn’t do anything reckless that would kill him, since his ability would only work when he was alive.

He knew they wouldn’t.

…Would they?

The answer quickly came when pain suddenly flashed through his body, forcing him into a disorienting seizure. In the narrow pit, this resulted in his limbs harshly slamming against the rocks over and over again. And as he let the agony consume him, his eyes glanced up one last time before they permanently shut, seeing a lightning rod gently sinking down towards him.

And then the darkness took over his vision, and he let it.

;

When Brivere awoke the second time, he was drowning.

This time, he really was.

The Yiga clan members were repeatedly pouring health potions all over his body, which he couldn’t breathe like water or air. Instead, he was forced to slowly suffocate as the slimy substance trickled down his sides and stuck beneath his scales. He eventually couldn’t tell the disgusting sludge apart from his own blood. And because they were health potions, the wounds that the warriors inflicted on him as they pried off his scales and stabbed him with daggers kept healing immediately.

If it were anyone else, they probably would have died from shock. But Brivere would never wish this upon anyone else. The only thing that saved him was all of the years he had served in the Zora military, rushing into battles and getting harsher injuries all of the time. But while he had a higher pain tolerance, it wasn’t as if the wounds hurt any less.

This continued for what felt like forever, a war of pain and relief erupting over his body as he tried to fight against his restraints. Brivere was pinned down on his back to a stone table, ropes tightly knotted around his joints to keep him still and a large metal brace tightly clenched around his midsection. He felt a sharp pain in his neck as his tail was crushed underneath his head at an awkward angle, losing feeling in it from how long he had been laying on it. Prion’s choker and Dento’s visor had apparently been taken from him, along with his other knightly adornments, leaving behind only the broken man that usually hid underneath it all.

And while his masked tormentors continued to repeatedly inflict and heal wounds on his golden form, a familiar voice continuously whispered disgustingly sweet words, filing his head with the same syrup that was covering his body.

“You are so powerful.” Fake Alon murmured. Her head was hovering right above his, forcing him to stare at that wretched symbol the whole time. “You have a gift from the goddess above. You do not deserve to be held under the thumb of royalty just because of their bloodline.”

Brivere struggled against his restraints. He hated how much weaker he could feel his body and mind getting. Drifting in and out of consciousness, he was barely able to shake his head, trying to focus on his breathing to keep himself from suffocating.

“Your lord Calamity Ganon would benefit from your gift.” she cooed.

Anger flared up inside of him. “My lord… Prince Sidon.” he croaked.

Fake Alon roughly shook her head. “No. You serve our lord Calamity Ganon. That disgusting Hylian Champion may have killed him for now, but Ganon _will_ come back. He _always_ comes back. And _you_ will help us predict how to help him return faster. Ganon will rid Hyrule of its corruption, of the Hylian blight that has tainted it, and bring us back to prosperity.”

It was such a surreal experience, almost like what he had experienced the first time he had tried on his father’s choker and had had visions for the first time. Waves of agony and respite crashed around in his body and in his mind, making him aware of everything and numbing him at the same time. A long time passed until he gained the strength to open his jaw again.

“Why…?” he asked, voice barely above a shaky whisper.

“You wanted control of your abilities, yes?” she said. “We are just giving you the help that those dishonorable Sheikah could never have given you.”

Fake Alon snapped her fingers, and Brivere heard footsteps approaching them. A heavy clanking of metal was heard off to the side. Since the only thing he could move was his eyes, Brivere allowed them to drift up and see what Fake Alon was now holding on to.

His father’s choker.

When she saw that he was looking at her, she roughly shook the choker until a loud clanking sound was heard. The noise was unbearable as it echoed through his head, coming to a screeching crescendo.

“You are much more sensitive in this state.” Fake Alon explained after she stopped shaking the choker. “I have observed your past attempts at seeing the future. Your problem is that you get so lost in the moment that you allow your consciousness to leave you. We will continue to inflict and heal wounds in order to ground you to reality, creating an anchor and making a stable environment for you to use your ability.”

With this, she took the metal choker and gently laid it onto Brivere’s broad chest. The second one of the dangling metal pieces touched his scales, images crashed into his mind like they usually did. But something seemed different this time. They weren’t as intense. They didn’t threaten to sweep him away. It was as if he had already gotten past the initial shock and was already in the more bearable stages.

As much as he hated to admit it, Fake Alon was right. The sting of a dagger shallowly stabbing into his scales or the pain that shot through his body as a scale was pulled forced him to stay in reality.

While this helped, it still didn’t stop how jumbled and distorted the visions were.  

 _a alatuA ndnhnbls rwyr riion nohuH agng_ _ss eunohru wor y fuiogseadnircmrsrcal,I w uiefhw ecjwpi we fhhwep peif wefin wew ecfiweh fwefwefwef iwf wff iwef iwfepwef askl fovp erxrctvy ubinwewfe gyf8hu9jiwoe irgwwef qyubaiso fiudw fiwqueobno fwubidnorf bweif wf_

Brivere’s eyes wildly darted around, a scream wildly thrashing in his chest, unable to get past the prison gates of his clenched jaw. He absolutely hated this. It was just like trying on the choker for the first time all over again.

But this time there was no one there to help him.

_?Gnihtemos ro ladem nikcuf a tnaw uoy ,tahw ¿syas siht tahw tuo erugif ot emit eht ekat yllautca uoy did wow_

Fake Alon smacked her hands on either side of his face and tilted it up, forcing him to look directly at her blindingly white mask. “Focus.” she hissed.

_…Nailyh dnolb A…_

“Focus!”

_A blond Hylian was running through a narrow corridor, furiously screaming as he swung his sword recklessly at masked Yiga Clan members._

Brivere’s heart soared. Link was coming.

His body suddenly went still. The Yiga Clan torturers snapped their heads up to look at him, afraid to find that they had went too far. Relief washed through his body at the short break, but when they saw that his chest was still heaving, they quickly returned back to slowly dismembering his body.

“What do you see?” Fake Alon demanded.

_Link was with some Zora soldiers. They had been tricked, led into a dead end with the only thing separating them from Brivere being a large set of wooden bars. Yiga Clan members caught up, blocking the only exit. Although the Zora and the Hylian Champion were more skilled, the sheer number of enemies quickly overtook them._

_The soldiers were all dead._

_His younger brother was dead._

_Link was dead._

Fake Alon suddenly whipped out the lightning rod, slamming its electrified end into his arm. “What do you see?!” she barked.

The sudden pain that coursed through his body actually grounded him more, allowing him to get better control of his jaw. “You need… the gate. Unlock it.” he murmured.

“And why would I do that? How do I know that this isn’t some trick?”

Brivere mustered all the strength he had into barely shaking his head. “No… I know you will just harm me more…”

The mask bobbed as she nodded. “Yup. Glad to see that you’ve learned your lesson. Could’ve spared yourself a lot of pain if you had just done so in the first place. So, what did you see?”

“I just saw your soldiers,” he croaked. “They were running away from my group, who came to rescue me. Your soldiers were pinned up against the bars and thoroughly slaughtered.”

Fake Alon pulled back the lightning rod, satisfied. “I knew it was a good idea to go after you. Your abilities are already proving to be useful.” She turned away from him, barking to someone that he couldn’t see. “Kaneli! Open the gate!”

A confused voice shouted back. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! Our soldiers are going to retreat back in here when the Hylian Champion and the rest of those Zora guards arrive!”

“Should we beef up border security as well?”

Fake Alon shook her head. “No, let’s avoid a fight. They’re too skilled and we have lost too many already. Just let our soldiers fall in and we will lock them out, then send some archers to take them out from above.”

The images still swirling around in Brivere’s mind began to change due to this new decision, exposing a different vision than the one he had just seen.

_Link and the other Zora soldiers stormed into the room, and because the Yiga soldier controlling the gate had anticipated his own soldiers he instead closed it quickly, accidentally locking out the rest of his comrades. Before he could correct his mistake, Estuu shot an arrow through his head and then began picking off the ones still torturing the golden Zora strapped to the table. Link and the other Zora soldiers roared and mercilessly killed those who remained._

_And they all left, alive._

If Brivere had the strength, he would have smirked. Now all he had to do was wait for this future to become the present.

;

He had no idea how much time had passed by since his initial revelation. It could have been minutes, hours, or even days. Time melted together, the only thing keeping him company was the Yiga Clan members who continued to maim and pour healing potions over his body. Brivere’s heart sank as he realized that he didn’t know exactly when his vision of rescue would finally become a reality.

It at least kept him from losing the hope of escape.

At this point, he was pretty sure that some of the Yiga Clansmen were just horsing around, stabbing daggers in further than necessary and twisting them around, and plucking off enough scales to make another Zora armor. On the bright side, some of them had stopped using the healing potion and this gave him more room to breathe.

As deplorable as their methods were, Brivere had to admit that they were working. The blinding pain that shot through him made him aware of every single scale on his body. However, it also made it difficult to focus on the visions, and he didn’t know which was worse: the physical pain or the mental anguish.

When he had practiced using his abilities in the palace, it was usually just him, his younger brother, and Prince Sidon. Occasionally, one or two other soldiers were there as well, but they never really talked to him other than to assure him that they would keep whatever they saw to themselves. Apparently, they were just there to restrain him in order to avoid Prince Sidon getting harmed. Also, Estuu hated physical touch and was much smaller than all of them, so it wasn’t as if _he_ could do it.

In that setting, he was comfortable, at least physically. He always sat in a soft chair and had a pen in his hands with an endless stack of papers on the table in front of him. The others would give him space and always took it slow, but inevitably he would have to put the choker on all the way and plunge himself into near insanity. At the very least, if he passed out, he always awoke with nothing worse than a slightly sore body.

But in the depths of the Yiga Clan hideout, it felt like he was being torn apart and hastily stitched back together again. He felt completely violated, having these disturbed strangers tear into his body with disgusting glee. Brivere refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing how much pain he was actually in and so he donned on a blank mask like the rest of them.

Fake Alon was still hovering above his face, a smirk evident in her smug voice. “I don’t know if I should be surprised or not that you still manage to have that infamous resting bitch face, even in this situation.”

He just grunted back in response.

Her own mask had been taking over his vision the entire time. Fake Alon continued to whisper sweet, hollow words to him, trying to brainwash the stubborn golden knight into fully submitting to his situation. Her words ranged from slander about how he was above the worthless royals to murmurs of false encouragement, all of it slithering around in his mind, closing around his deeply held beliefs and threatening to smother them out.

But he refused to believe any of it. No matter what, he would return to Prince Sidon and continue to serve and protect him as the Oracle Knight.

He just had to. It was his fate. It was his future.

Everyone flinched as a ferocious battle cry suddenly shook the hideout. “Ah.” Fake Alon said calmly, pulling herself back out of Brivere’s sight. “As you predicted, I suppose they are here now.”

She caught the relief that overtook his indifferent face. “Don’t get your hopes up. We took every precaution to ensure that you remain ours.”

He mustered every last bit of strength in his body to break his emotionless mask and snarl at her. This earned him a quick tap from the lightning rod before she left. “Keep doing what you guys are doing,” Fake Alon said to the Yiga clan members that were still dissecting the golden knight in morbid fascination. “This is just a minor inconvenience.”

Now that she was finally gone, Brivere let out a shuddering sigh that shook and deflated his broken body. He closed his eyes. Before, if he dared to do so for too long, Fake Alon would strike him with the lightning rod. “Can’t have you passing out on us again.” she would spit. “Don’t want to waste any more time waiting for you to become useful again.”

The newfound darkness was nice and gave him a brief sense of calm. If he thought about it hard enough, he could imagine that he was just back at the palace in his shared room with his beloved younger brother. Both of them would just be peacefully sleeping in their water bed, close enough for comfort but not close enough to touch. Exactly the way they liked it.

Just as he predicted, he heard the shouts of Zora soldiers and a crazed Hylian Champion grow louder and louder, his own heartbeat quickly matching their increasing intensity. Brivere’s eyes snapped open, wanting to drink in everything that was about to occur, to assure himself that the future was finally here.

Link and the rest of the Zora guards burst into the room, startling the Yiga soldier that was in charge of the wooden gate. He was so on edge that he quickly closed and locked it before realizing that he had accidentally shut out his comrades. Before he could correct his mistake, Estuu whipped around and shot an arrow at him. As expected, it perfectly hit its mark, sticking out of the soldier’s mask as he crumpled to the floor.

“Kaneli!” he heard Fake Alon scream. She suddenly came back into his vision, the lightning rod pointed right between his eyes.

“Get the fuck away from him!” Link’s voice shouted, fury dripping off of his words.

“Make another move and I will kill-!”

Brivere watched as an arrow embedded itself in the center of the eye symbol on her mask. She collapsed out of his view, and as his eyes shifted downwards, he saw his tormentors meet the same fate.

Estuu and Link suddenly popped in front of his eyes. He could barely believe it.

“What in Hylia’s name did they do to you?!” Link cried. Estuu was furiously nodding, his usually blank face contorted in rare anger. The other soldiers gathered around him and everyone gawked at the mangled knight who was harshly strapped to a stone table, body covered in bleeding wounds.

The last of his strength poured into the corners of his lips, quirking them up into a barely visible smile. “You came…” he croaked.

The broken knight was shocked when tears suddenly flowed down the Hylian’s bloody face. He had never seen him actually cry before. “What?” Link laughed incredulously. “Did you actually think I wouldn’t?”

Brivere couldn’t even shake his head. Relief flooded inside of him to the point that it was suffocating. The golden knight’s consciousness faded, barely registering the other Zora soldiers hastily trying to take off his restraints and the sound of Link yelling at him to stay with them.

“No…” he whispered as his voice began to fail. “I trust you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why do i fuckin love hurting Brivere, it hurts me to harm my child  
> honestly i dont know how this chapter came about


	10. Practice Makes Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now in Kakariko Village, Brivere gains a better understanding of what has been holding him back from fully controlling his powers. Too soon, the stress of seeing the future begins to take a toll on him, and he is forced to come to terms with why he wants this ability so badly in the first place.
> 
> (A fic for the sidlink fic Coma Baby, a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3 (tumblr: @banishfics / @banishedone), and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don’t need to read the whole series to get what’s going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything! I also post all chapters on my AO3 account BunnyBob!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren’t trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

“No!” Brivere hissed, narrowing his deformed eyes behind his visor. “I refuse to go in there!”

Princess Zelda and Guard Captain Bazz sighed. Their small group had been standing on a hill that overlooked Kakariko Village for well over an hour, trying to coax the Oracle Knight into going inside of its borders.

His reluctance was completely understandable considering what he had just gone through during his capture with the Yiga Clan. Yet, the only people who possibly had even the slightest clue as to how to help the Oracle Knight’s worsening condition were within the very same village that had such strong historical ties to his kidnappers.

“Oracle Knight, it is as I said,” Princess Zelda said gently, holding her hands up to calm him down. “The Yiga Clan is just a group of crazed individuals who swore allegiance to the Calamity after being misled and tricked by Ganon. They broke off from the Sheikah clan over a century ago and that is the only thing that the two of them share. Both groups absolutely despise each other. I deeply regret that you had to go through such torture, but the fact remains that the Sheikah are our allies, and they may be the only ones who can help you.”

Breaking out of the Yiga Clan’s hideout had been nothing short of a miracle. While the Zora soldiers and the Hylian Champion were far more skilled than the Yiga, they still had to go up against dozens, if not _hundreds_ , of Yiga Clan warriors. They had had to carry Brivere, who had passed out, while they snuck around, trying to escape by navigating the maze of hallways. The only thing that had really saved them was when Estuu had tugged Link by his tunic into a room full of bananas, and they had both started throwing them at Yiga Clan soldiers to get them to stop following their rescue group.

Thank Hylia for those banana loving mother fuckers.

After escaping, they had had to make a pit stop in a Gerudo oasis, both to get more cooling jewelry so that the Zoras didn't fry up in the desert sun and to get more health potions to heal Brivere. At first, Link had been worried when the golden knight didnt wake up, but Bazz had assured him that it was better that Brivere was out of it rather than push himself any further.

They had left Princess Zelda in Kakariko Village for safety, and so they had put Brivere on a stretcher and quickly jetted through the river system to meet her back there. He had woken up along the way but hadn’t been lucid enough to understand what was going on.

 It was only when Bazz was carrying him on his back to Kakriko Village that Brivere had realized where they were and had started screaming and trying to get away. The Guard Captain had dismissed the other soldiers to tell Prince Sidon what had caused their delay, sensing that the golden knight wouldn't want to be seen in near hysterics and instead, have the chance to maintain his pride.

Which is where they were now. The only ones left in their group aside from Brivere were Princess Zelda, the Hylian Champion, the Holy Knight, and the Guard Captain. While it may have seemed completely reckless and idiotic to suddenly cut down the number of soldiers that they had, the Oracle Knight was extremely grateful for Bazz's generosity. He absolutely despised how weak he was, cutting himself no slack for being heinously tortured for nearly a day. Brivere didn't want anyone else to see him break down, and the four who remained was already pushing it.

“Do you not see how suspicious this is?!” Brivere snapped, gesturing at the Sheikah flags and banners around the village, all of them bearing the same blood red symbol of a crying eye. It was the exact same as the one his kidnappers had proudly worn, only here it was right-side up with the single tear falling the correct way.

 He hated how anxious the mere sight of that wretched symbol made him. “They are practically the same insignia!”

“Technically, they are.” the princess admitted. “The symbol belonged to the Sheikah clan, and when the Yiga clan separated from them, they just turned it upside down out of pure spite and mockery. But rest assured, Kakariko Village has only recently begun to use the symbol again out of a desire to honor their history.”

“Is that supposed to make him feel better?” Link retorted with an eyebrow raised.

Brivere threw his hands up. He was just so exhausted. “Enough of this. I am going to step away and wait for you all at the bottom of the hill. If none of you follow within a few minutes, then I will proceed to head back to the Zora Domain alone.”

“You can’t!” Bazz cried out. “I have been ordered to bring you to the Sheikah’s medical attention! Prince Sidon even commanded you to get help!”

“Then we will just have to find something else. I am sorry, Guard Captain. I promise to protect you from any repercussions.” And with that, Brivere turned and walked down the hill. Estuu ran up to him and tapped a clawed finger on his beloved book, _The Cursed Girl._

_Try. Try. Try._

Brivere sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Estuu, I am sorry.” he grunted. “It may have worked before, but I am too weak now. I am sorry that you have to see me so broken. Please, either come with me or don’t. It is alright if you stay, for I know that the Hylian Champion will take care of you.”

The golden knight kept walking, passing Estuu as the younger Zora stood in place. Brivere glanced over his shoulder at his younger brother. “I am sorry that I am nothing like Lorelei.” he said, voice barely above a whisper.

He absolutely hated the way his younger brother’s face fell. Link jogged up behind Estuu, leaning in to whisper something to him and patting the back of his armor. The scarlet Zora nodded before running back up to Princess Zelda and the Guard Captain. Brivere didn’t wait for Link, instead continuing to walk away as the Hylian ran up to his side.

“Do you intend to accompany me back to Prince Sidon?” the golden knight asked.

Link hesitantly shook his head. “Actually… I intend to make you go into Kakariko Village for help.”

Brivere instantly stopped and snapped his head to stare down at the sheepish Hylian. “You were the one who warned me of them in the first place, planting worry and anxiety within my mind!” the golden knight hissed. “And now, after I have gone through a horrid experience that confirmed your suspicions, you are going to just take it all back?!”

“Brivere, calm down!”

“No!” he shouted back. Brivere completely despised how hysterical he was becoming. How much of a weaker man he was reduced to. He didn’t even think it was possible to sink lower than he was before. “Why are you doing this? You should be happy that you were correct all along!”

Link grabbed onto Brivere’s long forefins, quickly pulling his face down so that his visor was practically touching the Hylian’s face. “I could never be happy if it meant that you were going to get hurt as a result!” Link yelled in his face.

Both of them panted, chests heaving in time with one another’s, trying to calm down. Finally, Link continued. “I wanted to be right so badly. But then, when we were breaking you out of the Yiga Clan hideout, I never wanted to be so wrong in my life. I wish that this had never happened, that none of this ever existed. Because then you never would have gotten hurt as a result of my carelessness.”

“Hylian Champion.” Brivere said softly. “It is not your fault. The blame lies on those who inflict pain for their own personal desires.”

Link gulped and nodded before letting go, allowing both of them to straighten up. “That is why you need to go to Kakariko Village. You nearly died, Brivere.” The Hylian’s voice became shaky, and he gulped before continuing. “I hate to admit it, but they may be the only ones who can help you, and I can’t risk putting off your safety for my own suspicions. The Sheikah are a double-edged sword; their knowledge and scientific skill can either save lives or ruin them.”

Brivere arched his brow, still forgetting that is was covered by his visor. “And what makes you so sure that I will receive the good end of that sword?”

Link stared back, determination blazing in his intense blue eyes. “Because I will be there. I promise to not leave your side for one second. I’ll make them explain any procedure they do to you and stop them if they don’t. No harm will come to you, and I won’t hesitate to kill them if they go too far. I swear to protect you for as long as I live. And that will be forever.”

The Hylian caught the hesitation that flashed across the golden knight’s face. “What?” he chuckled. “Do you not trust me anymore?”

Brivere’s lips twitched into a small smile and he shook his head. “No. I trust you.”

;

Princess Zelda and her personal knight were sitting on their knees in front of an old woman. The woman was perched on top of a mountain of red pillows while a child was bouncing around in place at the base of it. The Oracle Knight was knelt behind the Hylians, and the Holy Knight and the Guard Captain were stationed just outside the doors. With them was a nervous young woman who had had a difficult time telling them that her name was Paya. A faint sound of wind chimes could be heard in the background, accompanied with a flute that gently played a relaxing tune.

"Zeldy! It's been so long!" the little girl chirped, excitedly wriggling in place. The deadly glare that Link shot her and the one that princess Zelda shot back at him told Brivere that the child was perhaps more complex than he had initially thought.

Princess Zelda's face softened as she turned back to the small girl with a polite grin. "Yes Purah, it almost feels like it’s been one hundred years." She chuckled at her own joke while Link rolled his eyes. "I must say, you have aged quite well during all this time."

"You too Zeldy! Mine was more of an accident though. I was just trying to prolong my life so I could see you again! Failed experiment, you know?"

A cold stinging sensation began to seep into Brivere's stomach. Failed experiment? He was supposed to be seeking help from these people?

"Enough of that, Purah." The old woman said in a creaking, steady voice. "Our guests have clearly come for help."

Purah stamped her tiny feet and pouted. "That's the problem, little sis! Why don't people ever come to hang out?!"

Brivere gawked at the child from behind his visor. _She_ was the older one?

Princess Zelda bowed her head. "I do apologize, Purah, and to you as well Impa.” The older woman nodded with a slight smile stretching on her wrinkled face. “While we stay in Kakariko Village and receive your help I promise to spend any free time catching up with you."

Jumping into the air, Purah pumped her fists and cheered. "Yay! I'm gonna hold you to that! Now, what's the problem?"

The Hylians turned to look at Brivere, who flinched slightly at the sudden attention. "This is the Oracle Knight, Brivere. He is the personal knight of Prince Sidon of the Zora Domain." Zelda explained. "We have brought him to you because of his worsening eye condition and for him to gain possible help controlling his ability to see the future."

The two Sheikah were now the startled ones. "Woah, he can see the future?!" Purah gasped. Before anyone could respond, she darted over to Brivere and snapped his visor open. He cried out in surprise and winced as the open air immediately stung his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the girl suddenly slammed into the wall across the room. Brivere gaped at Link, who had thrown her and was now seething with anger. "Don't fucking touch him!" he spat.

Purah surprisingly got up and dusted herself off as if she had just tripped. "Oh, c’mon Linky! How are we supposed to help him if we can’t see what's wrong?"

The old woman cleared her throat and gazed at Brivere. "I do apologize for my older sister's brash actions. She is quite curious since she is a scientist, but that is no excuse for her behavior."

Brivere nodded in response, keeping his usual straight face. "It is quite alright. She meant no harm."

Link's chest was heaving as he glared at Purah. "Yeah, right."

Brivere grunted and pulled Link back, bringing him closer to his face. "Do not forget that this was your idea. Please be on your best behavior, for my sake." Sighing, the Hylian nodded and went back to sitting on his knees near Zelda.

“Now, young Zora,” the old woman crooned, “may you come closer so that I can examine your eyes?”

He nodded and got up, quickly walking between the Hylians and kneeling before the old woman, which almost put them at eye level. Brivere still had to tilt his head down as he lifted his visor so that Impa could get a better look.

Unlike Zelda, she didn’t flinch, much to his relief. His condition was the same as when the princess had taken a look at his eyes back in the throne room. However, he had noticed how much that his eyes had gotten much better ever since they had escaped the Yiga Clan hideout. But although his eyes had improved, he absolutely hated that his abusers had had anything to do with it. He would rather have the burning sting back than the mental wounds that would forever scar his mind.

Impa hummed and looked him over before gesturing for the golden knight to put the visor back on. “Fortunately, it is not so bad. I believe that it is caused by your inability to control your powers and see the future. Your mind is not ready, so it has been taking out all of the mental stress and excess magic on your eyes. And while it is somewhat stable now, I suspect that this condition could spread to the rest of your body if we do not do something.”

“Thank you for the insight, Lady Impa.” Brivere said, relieved. There was hope after all. “May I ask what you suggest we may do to try and improve my abilities, therefore my condition?”

Impa paused, muttering something to herself before gesturing for Purah to come to her. When the little girl sped over to the base of the pillow stack, they both leaned in towards each other and began to whisper in fast, hushed tones. Although Brivere was right next to them, he couldn’t catch exactly what they were saying.

Finally, they both nodded to one another, seemingly satisfied. Impa turned back to him with a kind smile. “Young man, we will need to see you use your abilities first. During this, we will try and detect exactly what the problem is and work from there. Depending on what we decide is a good solution, you may need to stay in our village for quite a while. Do you agree to these conditions?”

The golden knight nodded. “Should I try to do it now?”

“Yes, the sooner the better. Is there anything you need from us that may help?”

“No, I will be alright.” Brivere said, shaking his head. “I will just require some space so that I do not hurt anyone if something goes wrong.”

“Yay! This will be exciting!” Purah cheered. She darted around the room, moving tables and papers against the walls. Noticeably, when she teasingly pushed Zelda out of the way, she avoided coming near Link, who was still glaring her down. Everyone in the room went to stand by the stack of red pillows that Impa was sitting on top of as she gestured for Brivere to go to the middle of the room. He nodded and stood in the center, bracing himself for what was to come.

Releasing a tense sigh, he reached a clawed hand up and touched his father’s choker. The visions slammed into his mind harsher than usual, disorientating him so immediately that he instantly collapsed to the floor.

“Brivere!” Link shouted, rushing over to his side. He forced the golden hand off of the choker and cradled Brivere’s head in his lap as he tried to shake it off. “Are you alright?!”

He wanted to nod, but the golden knight knew that his friend would just be able to tell that he was lying. Instead, he just shook his head slightly and quietly cursed at himself.

Lady Impa watched with a concerned frown on her face. “Does it happen that fast every time?” she asked. “You almost passed out the second that you touched that choker. And does the choker have some sort of significance?”

Brivere sat up with Link’s help and looked over at the old woman, trying to regain his emotionless mask. He absolutely hated how quickly he had already collapsed. “Yes, the choker belonged to my late father, Prion. He was the first to have the ability to see the future, and that power was passed onto me by blood. His choker was apparently blessed by Hylia and helped strengthen his abilities. And as for the reaction time…”

His voice trailed off as he tried to force out the words that refused to come out of his throat, making a painful lump swell within it. “…No. It usually does not happen that fast. I used to hold out for at least an hour or more.”

Purah’s white eyebrows flew up. “Wow, really?! Did something happen recently to change how long you could resist it?”

Fear shot through his heart as his eyes nervously darted around the room. Link caught onto the way Brivere’s body had started to slightly tremble and spoke up in his place. “Yeah. We had a run in with the Yiga Clan. They were trying to use him for his abilities, and when we found him, he had been physically and mentally tortured for nearly a day.”

A genuinely sad whimper came from Impa. “Oh, my child… I am so sorry. We assure you that the Sheikah in this village absolutely despise those monsters.”

Brivere shook his head, trying not to let his labored breathing show. “No, it is alright. I have learned that your two clans are separate. I can cast no blame onto you, as the fault only lies with those who have inflicted pain onto me.”

“Such wise words!” Purah chirped. “But I think I know what’s wrong now.”

Everyone turned to gawk at the little girl, who was practically vibrating with energy. “Older sister, have you come to the same conclusion that I have?” Impa asked.

Purah excitedly nodded her head. “I think so!” She whipped around and pointed a small finger at Brivere, eagerly bouncing it up and down. “Your problem is that you’re too stuck in the past!” Purah suddenly shot her other hand out and snapped her tiny fingers together. “Snap!”

He stared back at her. “…I beg your pardon?”

“Yeah! Maybe that wasn’t the problem before you came here, but that’s definitely it now. You have been so conditioned to associate your ability with pain, and now the Yiga Clan, that it’s corrupted your powers! Not to get too deep, but you’ve been so focused on the past that it has prevented you from seeing the future!”

Link snarled at her. “What, is he just supposed to forget all the shit that happened to him?”

Impa shook her head. “No, Link. He just has to not let the past hold him back. It will be difficult, but it is very possible if he puts in the effort.” She turned to the golden knight with a regretful smile. “I also suspect that this may have been the case even before your heinous encounter with the Yiga Clan. Admittedly, we have done my research on you before you even came to us.”

Brivere gulped. “And what do you know about me?”

“That you have a difficult background,” the old woman said with a sad gleam in her eyes. “The son of a famous war hero who suddenly died without anyone even knowing of your existence until your mother stepped forward, claiming that she had married him on the battlefield. But with no real evidence, your family was humiliated and cast aside to the point that she committed suicide, leaving you to care for your younger brother on your own, as society had abandoned you both.”

She closed her eyes and gently shook her head. “I am sorry to bring up such tragic memories or that you even have them in the first place. Your background has imprisoned you for so long that now that you are free you don’t know what to do. The future was never even an option for you because your whole life used to be completely dictated by your past.”

Brivere let out a defeated sigh. “So what do you propose that I do?”

Purah was the one to speak up, voice suddenly serious and intense, her wide eyes immediately narrowing. “You must stay in Kakariko Village and practice using your abilities more. The goal is to try and make amends with the past that continues to haunt your every move and thought. I also suggest trying to figure out why you even want this ability in the first place, to give yourself motivation. Do you think you can do all of this?”

He looked over at Link, who smiled slightly and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze.

Closing his eyes, Brivere nodded his head. “Yes. I look forward to working with you.”

;

The first few days trying to settle down in Kakariko Village were hectic and confusing. They were probably going to be there for a while, because no one had any idea how long Brivere’s healing and practices would take. Impa and Purah had offered to try an ancient procedure that would alleviate the pain in his eyes, at least.

“Not gonna happen.” Link had growled at them, hand on his sword. They didn’t attempt to offer anything else after that.

In the meantime, they were given an empty house near the river that had been abandoned for some time. Brivere was given a few days to get used to his new environment before they actually tried anything, so they spent the time doing domestic chores like cleaning their new home or cooking meals, which was primarily done by Brivere.

True to her word, Princess Zelda spent most of her time catching up with Purah and Impa, who were so happy to see that she was alive after holding back the Calamity for so long. Eventually, she apologized to Brivere for having to suddenly leave; she needed to keep rebuilding her kingdom after accidentally abandoning it for over a century.

“It is alright, Princess Zelda.” he said to the princess as she got into a royal carriage that had come to fetch her. “I will forever be in your debt for your assistance and mercy. You may come to the Zora Domain any time to ask me of my powers to help your efforts.”

She smiled and nodded, but had a noticeably hollow look in her eyes as she glanced at Link, who was scowling at her from behind the golden knight. Princess Zelda didn’t say goodbye to her personal knight and instead ducked back into the carriage, everyone completely silent as it rolled away and out of sight.

Brivere still didn’t understand the tension between the two Hylians, but he decided not to push it as compensation for Link keeping his word to stay by him throughout this whole ordeal.

A letter had come by a Rito messenger that requested for the Guard Captain and the Holy Knight to return, as there was a sudden influx of monsters and raiders around the Zora Domain. Estuu had refused to go back, wanting to stay with his older brother, forcing Bazz to hesitantly agree to pass on the message. Before he left, the Guard Captain apologized to Brivere for everything that had happened on his watch. He was clearly sincere, and while the golden knight assured him that it was alright, he was also unsure if the Guard Captain meant the Yiga Clan encounter or the food rations incident all those years ago. Possibly even both.

Now that it was just his younger brother and his Hylian friend, Brivere couldn’t be any more satisfied than just spending days holed up in his quaint new home, accompanied by two of the few people he cared most about in the world. He and Link would often quietly talk as Estuu read the new Sheikah books available to him, and they wouldn’t do much other than cook meals or hunt. It was extremely relaxing, and Brivere was trying not to feel guilty for indulging in their company. The only thing that would have made it better was if Prince Sidon would have been there too.

But to Brivere's confusion, he found himself enjoying Link’s presence just as much as Sidon’s. It wasn’t as if he valued the Hylian over his prince and vice versa. The only way he could describe it was that it was just _different_. His companionship with Link was equally as important as his relationship with the prince. Neither was better or worse, satisfying or disappointing, or one more valuable than the other.

It was just different, yet the same altogether. And it frustrated him.

Brivere couldn’t fathom why he found himself looking at the Hylian every time they were in the same place, which was hard because they were almost always right next to each other, and he didn’t want Link to catch on and inevitably tease him for it. And, in the rare moments that they weren’t together, his mind always wandered off, thinking about what the Hylian was probably doing at that time. Both of them have been described as serious and stoic by others, but genuine laughter and smiles weren’t uncommon between the two of them. They spent the days watching over Estuu like their shared child, while also taking care of the house and each other.

He found himself thinking about the future for once. When Brivere was in the Zora Domain, he was always busy being Prince Sidon’s knight or taking care of Estuu. And while he loved doing so, he never really had any goals for the future other than just that. He had spent years being told and thinking that he was worthless, so it was a miracle that he had even found a purpose in life at all. The future seemed to be something so distant and empty that it practically didn’t exist. His only purpose was to be the knight that would protect his prince and the older Zora that would take care of his younger brother. And for most of his life, he was content with being just that.

But as he sat there, talking to Link, with Estuu next to him reading _The Cursed Girl_ , all of them sleepy after a good meal that he’d made and sitting next to a warm fire, he found himself thinking that he could get used to this, that he had finally found something for himself. The only thing keeping him from wanting this to be the rest of his life was that Sidon wasn’t there to enjoy it as well.

Eventually their cozy domestic life had to slowly give way to what they were actually there for. He was surprised to feel himself hoping that he could have it again, if not now, then perhaps sometime in the future.

;

“Brivere, seriously, we can take a break.” Link said gently, handing Prion’s choker to Estuu, who was gazing at his older brother in concern.

The golden knight shook his head. “No, I can handle it.” he insisted.

Link and Estuu glanced at each other. The Hylian sighed. “Fine. Just one more time. But we aren’t going to put it on you yet, you need to prove that you can handle even touching it first.” With this, Estuu held the choker out to Brivere, who nodded and tentatively placed his hand on the smooth metal.

Fake Alon was suddenly standing over him as pain erupted all over his paralyzed body.

Brivere shouted and jerked back, nearly falling onto the floor before Link caught him. “Okay, that’s it!” the Hylian spat. “We’re taking a break and that’s final.”

He shook his head. “No, I nearly had it that time!”

“No, you nearly passed out that time!” Link shouted back. His body went rigid and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he tightly shut his eyes, letting out a long, tired sigh. “Look, I know we have been at this for a week now. And I get that it might be frustrating that you haven’t made much progress yet. But you’ve already been through so much shit, you don’t need to give yourself more.”

Estuu nodded, setting the choker down in the corner of their shared room. He grabbed onto Brivere’s silver wrist cuff and whined as he tried to pull his older brother towards the door. The golden knight’s heart melted at the sweet gesture, and he sighed, nodding as he followed his little brother and Link out of the room and downstairs to the living room.

“How long do you two intend this break to last? It is important for me to practice more.” Brivere asked restlessly as he watched Link and Estuu roll out some blankets on the floor.

They both rolled their eyes and forced him to lay down with them. “As long as we need it to be.” Link grunted, shoving a book into his hands. Estuu had already cracked open _The Cursed Girl_ as the Hylian laid back and closed his eyes.

Brivere hesitantly opened the book Link gave him, trying to focus on the words neatly printed inside. But even though his eyes were closely scanning the paragraphs and each letter loudly rang in his mind, he couldn’t recall anything that he had just read when he got a few pages in. Sighing, he set the book down and laid down next to Link, trying to close his eyes and just nap like the Hylian. But his thoughts were elsewhere, completely focused on the choker in the room just upstairs.

He awkwardly cleared his throat. “I apologize, but has it been enough time yet?”

Estuu’s golden eyes shot up from his book and glared at him.

“Brivere.” Link scowled, eyes still closed.

“…I apologize.”

His body twitched as he laid there, desperately wanting to just leave and practice his abilities a little more. Brivere could feel that he was so close to finally getting it right, to not being a disappointment to Prince Sidon and the rest of the Zora Domain, to fulfilling his role of Oracle Knight…

…To finally being as great as his father once was.

He had no idea how much time had passed as he waited for either Estuu or Link to speak up and agree to let him try again. Brivere scoffed to himself, finding it a bit hypocritical that this was supposed to be a break. If anything, he was more anxious and agitated than before. Laying here as Prince Sidon was waiting for him to return as his Oracle Knight was just a waste of all the effort that it had taken to get him to Kakariko Village in the first place.

Link’s snoring snapped him out of his downward spiral of worry. Although the Hylian was small, he certainly sounded as threatening as a Hinox when he slept. Even Estuu had nodded off, leaning against the side of the couch in their living room.

Wait.

Brivere quietly got up, carefully walking over the blankets and books scattered around his little brother and his Hylian friend. He cringed when the wooden stairs creaked beneath his feet but was relieved to find that it was quiet enough to not stir either of the sleeping people he loved below. Slowly, he crept back into the shared bedroom and found his father’s choker in the darkness, laying in the corner where Estuu had last left it. He reached out his hand, hoping to just be able to practice without waking Link or Estuu in the process.

The second his clawed finger touched the smooth metal, a bolt of pain shot up his back, as if someone had just sliced along his spine with a dagger.

Clasping a hand over his mouth, Brivere muffled a scream that thrashed around in his chest. As he waited for the waves of pain to subside, he quickly realized that this definitely wouldn’t work.

He said a silent prayer of apology to his late father before sliding his longsword under the choker, lifting it up by its straps. Carefully balancing it on the sword and trying not to touch it, Brivere carried the choker down the stairs and out the door, amazed that he hadn’t been caught yet.

Brivere rationalized his recklessness by thinking that the sooner he could gain full control of his abilities, the sooner they could leave. Estuu and Link wouldn’t have to put so much effort into someone like him. He could finally be a proper knight for Prince Sidon and protect him, protect the Zora Domain.

Because that’s all the value he could give to the world.

Brivere had no idea where he was going. It was already nighttime, and even if it hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have been able to navigate the village so well anyways. He had really only left the house to get more food for meals or to talk to Impa and Purah to report his progress, which was usually nothing. His feet just carried him wherever they felt was right, weaving his body through the trees that surrounded Kakariko Village. It took a moment for him to snap out of his daze and realize that he was far away enough to not run into anyone else.

Now out in the middle of the woods, Brivere slipped the choker off of his longsword and onto the ground with a satisfying _thump._ He crouched down, taking in a deep breath before hovering a trembling hand over the silver metal that shined in the moonlight from above.

He couldn’t even feel the cool metal under his fingers when they brushed against the choker. All he could sense were those Yiga Clansmen, ripping out his scales and tracing lines in his skin with daggers. A shriek ripped itself out of his throat, but he cut it off by gritting his sharpened teeth so hard that he could taste blood in his mouth.

Fighting through the visions of the past and future clashing against each other as they battled for dominance of his mind, he completely rested his hand on the choker and fought back against the darkness that instantly clouded his vision. With a vicious scream, he grabbed onto the choker with both hands and roughly forced it onto his writhing body, scratching and bruising his scales in the process.

Brivere didn’t even know if he had put the choker on correctly. Whether he had or not, he could feel the cool metal quickly burn up, a blaze of fire strapped onto his body, branding itself into him. And then he felt nothing, floating in another plane of existence altogether, watching himself thrashing on the hard dirt ground.

In this other place, all he could see was that horrendous symbol. A blinding white took over his vision, a blood red eye with a single tear falling to the heavens, a disgustingly sweet syrupy voice drowning out the thoughts in his head. Familiar stings of pain erupted in random parts of his body, slowly growing to a screeching crescendo until his whole being was buzzing in agony.

Visions of the future bombarded his mind, taking over his senses yet heightening them at the same time, making the memories of the Yiga Clan’s torture feel fresh. He could see everything and nothing, watching the world tear itself apart and build back up again, in a million different ways with an infinite number of people, over and over and over and over and-

“What the fuck are you doing?!”

A pair of hands roughly grabbed onto the choker, forcing it off of his seizing body. He panted as he stared back up at the person who had helped him, unsure if he was relieved or infuriated to see them.

Link’s icy blue eyes were ablaze as he glared down at Brivere. “What. The. Fuck.”

“Hylian Champion, I-!”

The Hylian threw the choker off to the side, grabbing onto his blond hair and angrily growling to himself. “Are you fucking insane?!” he shouted at Brivere. “Not only did you try it again against your own health, but you even went out to the middle of nowhere without telling anyone and even put it on all the way?! What is wrong with you?!”

Brivere’s distorted eyes narrowed as he slowly got up. “Nothing is wrong with me.” he growled. “We have just been wasting our time and effort with these useless breaks! I am so close!”

“Close to fucking dying!” Link screamed in his face. “Why the hell are you adamant about getting yourself killed?!”

“I am not trying to do so! If I perished, then I could not protect my lord!”

The Hylian’s blue eyes widened in disbelief and anger. “Is this what this is fucking about?” he said in an unsettlingly steady voice. “You want your abilities to work so badly just for someone else’s sake?”

“What else would they be for?!” Brivere shouted back. “Hylia gave the power to my father to protect our people! And as long as I don’t have control of it, I will not be able to carry on his legacy!”

Link jabbed a finger into the Zora’s chest, bruising some of the white scales with his strength. “Then take care of yourself first! You can’t fucking protect anyone if you’re dead!”

Both of them furiously panted inches away from each other’s faces. Link was the first to break the silence, glaring Brivere down with fiery blue eyes. “You know, I think this is why I fuckin hated you when I first met you.” he spat.

The golden knight snarled back. “And what reason would that be?”

“You’re just like I used to be. Thinking that you had no purpose in life other than being someone else’s sword and shield, made to be broken for their own protection.” Link lowered his hand and scowled at the golden knight. “At least _I_ eventually grew out of it.”

His words hit their mark. Brivere visibly flinched, cringing at how true they rang in his heart. “…Even so, perhaps that is all I am. There is no shame in it. If I have no worth other than to be a sword, then I may as well use it to protect someone I love.”

Link angrily shook his head. “Listen to yourself. I used to think that way too, okay? I was literally referred to as the Goddess’s sword, for Hylia’s sake! All I was made to do was to live and die on this earth to protect Princess Zelda and eventually the rest of Hyrule.”

Brivere laughed incredulously. “And you call lashing out at her in anger protection?”

The Hylian shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh that made his shoulders sink. “I-okay, look. Maybe it wasn’t right of me to do so. But she left me out in the world with no help. I had to claw and fight for my life, trying to find some sense of worth in my life other than to suffer and die for the sake of people I didn’t even know. And then when I broke Zelda out, she just expected me to fall in line and obey her unquestionably, even though I couldn’t even remember her.”

Link laughed, but there was no humor in it. “All because I used to have some useless title as Knight. I didn’t get why I should have to die for someone I didn’t even care or know about, and things between us just went down from there.”

Brivere nodded. He supposed that he could understand. While it didn’t excuse Link’s vitriol towards the well-meaning princess, it at least made sense.

“But this isn’t about that.” Link said. His sharp blue eyes were slowly turning soft. “Brivere, why can’t you just accept that you are worth so much more than you think? Not just to me, but to Estuu, and to Sidon, and to so many other people?”

The golden knight let out a sarcastic chuckle. “So many other people?”

A small grin twitched on Link’s face. “You know what I mean, you asshole.”

Brivere sighed and relaxed his body. He was suddenly so tired. “You know of my past.”

The Hylian nodded, gesturing for him to elaborate. And so he did. “Quite simply… people can be ruthless. They did not hesitate to tear into a helpless woman and her son when they suspected that she could be lying, never giving her a chance to really prove herself. They did not waste a second before tormenting us to the point that my own mother thought that it would be fine to suddenly die and leave me on my own, in charge of a child no less. And I was a child too.”

He suddenly staggered forward and Link caught him, gently setting both of them into the grass. He turned his head to cradle it in the Hylian’s soft chest. “And in all honesty, I couldn’t blame her. I considered it myself, sometimes. There is no value in being the son of a lie, at least that’s what everyone else said. So, there was no worth I could give to the world anyways.”

Brivere shuddered from the memories that were forcing themselves to resurface. The lonely nights. The taunting, the mockery. Eyeing his mother’s bottle of poison and wondering how much it would take to do it. “But I couldn’t do it. No one would have been there to take care of Estuu.”

He could feel Link’s smile on his head fin. His voice was slightly muffled, as his head had leaned onto Brivere’s. “Even then, you only found your worth in keeping others alive.”

“…I suppose.”

The Hylian sighed, making the scales on the back of Brivere’s neck tingle at the sudden warm breeze. “So, is this why you want your ability so badly?”

“…Yes.” Brivere hesitantly admitted. He had never told anyone else any of this before.

But he trusted Link.

“It is as you said.” he murmured into Link’s soft tunic. It smelled nice. “I am nothing but a tool for those above me to use. No one gave me the time of day until I groveled and fought for the position of the Knight Captain. And even then, I was still worthless. Perhaps it is selfish of me, but this new ability of mine… I was finally given value. I was finally validated. It feels like my existence actually means something for once.”

They sat there in silence, listening to the faint sound of chimes as a gentle breeze swayed through the air. Link was the one to break the calm. “You need to work on thinking more of yourself.”

Brivere tried to shake his head, but stopped when he felt Link’s voice tremble against his head tail. “Because I think you’re worth the whole world.”

Stunned, Brivere lay against Link with his eyes open wide. “How can you say that?”

His scales shivered when Link chuckled into them. “When I was off fighting the Calamity, I wasn’t being that heroic, I admit. I didn’t give a damn about most of the people in Hyrule. They always treated me just as the Goddess’s sword, a weapon just to be broken in order to protect them. Nothing more.”

The Hylian’s rough voice suddenly went soft. “But I _was_ thinking about the few people who treated me as a real person, as Link. They meant the world to me, so I was willing to give the world to them.”

Link tilted Brivere’s face up, making his distorted eyes focus on the soft blue ones staring back at him. “And I found myself thinking of you.” he whispered right above Brivere’s mouth.

Every time they would think about this moment later on, be it days or years later, neither of them would be able to recall who leaned in first.

When their lips touched, Brivere finally understood what the Sheikah elders had been telling him. Perhaps it was difficult to let go of the past, and perhaps it would take a long time to get over it. Possibly, he never would. But that didn’t mean that he could allow himself to stay anchored back there forever. He had to consider the future, to accept all of the good things that came to him, to believe and have hope that the horrors of the past would not be all that there was to life.

And as Brivere sat there, kissing a man he used to absolutely despise, he realized that he was willing to let go of any past aggression with Link if it meant that he could have a loving future with his beloved Hylian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the ot3 train has finalllyyyyy come into the station  
> cant wait for it to fuckin happen in the actual fic lmao  
> they just beat the shit out of each other on a bridge, so itll be a while


	11. Oracle Knight Brivere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a long overdue ceremony approaching within the hour, Brivere prepares to present himself as the first official Oracle Knight. And while it may be overwhelming, he finds solace in the knowledge that three very special people will be there for him until the end. 
> 
> (A fic for the sidlink fic Coma Baby, a continuation of the other one I made called Catharsis!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fanfiction for a fanfiction called Coma Baby by BanishedOne on AO3 (tumblr: @banishfics / @banishedone), and a continuation of the other one I wrote called Catharsis. If you like a grumpy Link and really well developed, deep characters and an amazing take on the political structure of the Zora Domain, then definitely check out Coma Baby! It’s a long read and still going on, but the writing and descriptions are superb and it just means more great content. This fic in particular is focused on my favorite character in the series, the OC Brivere. You don’t need to read the whole series to get what’s going on in this fic though, since a lot is explained in here.
> 
> I post memes and fics for Coma Baby on my tumblr bunnyb0b, you can chat with me any time about anything! I also post all chapters on my AO3 account BunnyBob!
> 
> Huge thank you to my amazing beta reader Alina! Her tumblr and ff.net is @ipromiseitsnotanobsession. She actually does editing shit for a living and she is the one that makes sure these things aren’t trash, so
> 
> Disclaimer: In no way does this have any true ties or canon to Coma Baby unless stated otherwise. It’s really just an indulgence AU to feed my obsession for Brivere drama.

Technically, Brivere was supposed to have had his knighting ceremony to officially be sworn in as the Oracle Knight well over a year ago.

After the council had agreed to create the new position, they had immediately started planning an extravagant ceremony to swear him in as the first Oracle Knight. However, Brivere had felt uncomfortable, unused to receiving such high praise and treatment, and so he had tried to assure everyone that he would be fine with a simple initiation. But King Dorephan had refused, insisting that Brivere only receive the best celebration and adornments that royalty could afford.

They eventually came to an agreement that the initiation would be very elaborate but would only occur when Brivere felt ready. And to him, being ready meant that he had truly earned it, meaning that he wanted full control of his powers first.

So officially, he wasn’t the Oracle Knight yet, but everyone had just referred to him as such in the meantime since it was must easier than saying “The ex-Knight Captain that will soon become the first Oracle Knight. Hopefully.”

Which led him to where he was now, in Prince Sidon’s quarters, fidgeting with the many fancy sets of jewelry, armor, and sashes that nearly covered his whole body. Although his eyes had returned to normal, he continued to wear his visor just for the sake of formality. Months of practicing and meditation in Kakariko Village had finally given him peace and full control of his powers, making him confident enough to go through with the knighting ceremony.

“I can’t even see your gold scales!” Link laughed, looking him over.

He groaned. “I am well aware, Hylian Champion. I am only wearing all of this as my king has requested me to do so.” Brivere would have jokingly smacked Link, but every single movement he made sent dangling bits of jewelry flying around, making a loud rattling noise if he moved too fast.

“Do you not like them, Brivere?” Sidon asked as he adjusted the clasps of Prion’s choker. One thing he loved about having control over his abilities was that he could finally have a piece of his father with him at all times without worrying that it would accidentally make him pass out or spiral into insanity.

Brivere shook his head, making the silver jewelry snaking up his head tail jingle lightly. “No, I am extremely grateful for your father’s generosity. It just seems a bit… much. Especially for someone like me.”

Prince Sidon gently cupped Brivere’s face, tilting it upwards so that he was forced to stare into his intense golden eyes. “Brivere, we are holding this ceremony in celebration of your accomplishments. You have done so much and have proven yourself to be deserving of everything. Please do not continue to not see your true value.”

Brivere sighed. It was easier said than done, attempting to undo nearly a century of mockery and disdain in order to accept that he was actually deserving of even the smallest bit of compassion. That his life actually had some sort of worth outside of being a weapon to protect others.

But that didn’t mean that he wasn’t willing to try, especially if Sidon and Link were going to help as well. “Yes, my lord. I apologize.”

Sidon smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips before letting go of his face, resuming his inspection of Brivere’s outfit to make sure that everything was perfect. After all, he would be wearing it on display for practically the whole Zora Domain to see.

Brivere’s scales had been shined just for this occasion, making it seem as if the Zora was actually made out of pure gold. He continued to wear his father’s choker, which covered his shoulders, neck, and most of his chest, as it was determined to be the mark of the Oracle Knight. Dento’s visor was also on his head, buffed and polished by its creator for this very occasion.

These two pieces were already extravagant enough on their own, but King Dorephan had supplied many more adornments to fully decorate him, making Brivere look even fancier than what most nobility or even royals wore. Brivere supposed that it was the king’s way of trying to make up for the consequences of his indecision so long ago, and while all the jewelry in the world wouldn’t lessen the pain from the years of torment that he and Estuu had had to endure, it didn’t mean that he didn’t appreciate the gesture.

A silver eel spiraled up his head fin with intricate designs of waves and fish carved into the smooth metal. His long forefins had jewelry clasped onto them, similar to the ones the late Princess Mipha had often worn. Brivere also had been given ankle and wrist cuffs that were longer and fancier than the ones he already had from working in the military, nearly taking up his whole forearm and calves respectively. There was a metal beaded belt that was wrapped around his hips with dangling blue gemstones that increased in size. Metal bands were also clasped onto his biceps and thighs, words of the Zora’s great history spelled out in melted gold.

And as if it couldn’t get any more ridiculous, to top it all off, he was given a long silk cape that trailed far behind him and dragged on the ground as he walked. It first appeared to be the same as the sashes or shawls that many of the nobles or upper class used, but one touch of its smooth surface revealed that it was made of Gerudo silk, uncommon in the Zora Domain since it didn’t fare well with water. Looking at it from other angles would show differing shades of blue that rippled when he moved, as if he was wearing a piece of the ocean on his back.

Brivere was nothing short of breathtaking. There was just one problem.

Link looked over at him and smirked. “Brivere,” he teased, “You really need to work on that resting bitch face of yours.”

He turned to the Hylian, confused. “I beg your pardon?”

“You’re getting this huge fancy ceremony yet you still look pissed!” Link laughed. “Even with the visor covering half of your face, it’s still visible as hell.”

Brivere looked at Prince Sidon, hoping for some backup, but the prince just shrugged back sheepishly. “I apologize, Brivere,” he chuckled, “but I am afraid that I must agree with Link on this one.”

He huffed and turned away from them so quickly that the room was instantly filled with the annoying jingling noise of his jewelry. Pretending to be focused on fixing his cape, he ignored the sound of laughter and the light footsteps approaching him from behind. But he couldn’t disregard the strong arms that wrapped around his waist. “Awe, I’m sorry Brivere.” Link laughed into his back. “I shouldn’t tease you on such a big day.”

Brivere had thought when he started to date the Hylian that the jokes made at his expense would stop or at least somewhat subside. But he quickly found out that they only got worse, and even Sidon would often join in. Yet he couldn’t stay mad at either of them, especially Link, because for whatever reason, his near constant light-hearted teasing just added to his charm and was extremely endearing.

He turned and allowed a soft smile to be shown to the Hylian. “It is alright. I forgive you for such light humor.”

Link seemed awestruck at the genuine gesture, staring at his face so intensely that it was as if he intended to brand it into his mind permanently. Even Sidon seemed a bit dazed, a lovesick look in his eyes as he gazed at the golden Knight.

The Hylian’s own grin widened as he snapped out of his stupor. “See? You _can_ do it!”

This comment made Brivere’s face pinch back up, making his two lovers laugh. Link tugged on his long forefin, forcing the golden knight to come down to his level. “Sorry, sorry.” Link whispered inches from his face. “Still forgive me?”

Brivere nodded, and the Hylian placed a quick kiss, with a swift sweep of his tongue on Brivere’s lower lip, on his mouth. Brivere straightened himself, trying not to show how flustered he was, the only thing saving him being years of muscle memory on how to keep a straight face.

“Anyways, where’s Estu- ah, sorry, your Holy Knight?” Link asked.

Brivere groaned and rubbed his brow. “Hylian Champion, I have already told you several times. Were you not listening?”

He shrugged. “Sorry, I guess I’ve learned to tune you out by habit.”

“Dear Hylia, give me strength.”

A knock on the entryway startled all of them. “Ah, young one, I see you have returned. Were you able to retrieve your brother’s item?” Sidon asked the small scarlet Zora who was hovering in the entrance. Estuu nodded, reaching behind his back to hold out a long package wrapped in leather, covered in droplets of water.

Brivere noticed his little brother’s tail wagging slightly, along with the serene look on his face. It was to be expected, considering what was in the package. He gestured for Estuu to come to him so that he wouldn’t shift his adornments too much, and the young Zora nodded and scurried over, gently placing the leather package in his gold hands.

“What’s that?” Link asked as he unwrapped it. The room was silent when it was finally opened, revealing a familiar silver scale longsword inside.

Brivere’s eyes softened at the sight of it. “It’s my mother’s sword.” he said in a small voice. Link nodded in understanding, and both he and Sidon placed a hand on Brivere’s shoulders.

He thought that he had lost his mother’s beloved sword in the earthquake when he had broken it trying to free Estuu from a fallen pillar. While it was irreplaceable, as the only thing left of his mother, the choice had been easy to make when his only living family member was on the line. Afterwards, he had just used a replica, but it definitely wasn’t the same. But after living in the palace, he had eventually commissioned several Undercity workers to try and retrieve the shards of the sword from the ruins of their old house. They were happy to be employed and paid so well by a high ranking official and so they had returned with every piece.

Brivere had given them a hefty reward in turn, but really _he_ had walked away with the most valuable material thing in the world. At least, to him.

His fingers ran over the cool metal, not even finding a single crack where it was once broken. Brivere had also given a lot of money to Dento to fix the sword, who had initially refused the rupees just like with the visor until the golden knight had just thrown them onto the table and run away, forcing him to take the payment as he laughed. Still, it was an incredible job, as if the sword had never met the underside of the pillar at all. He mentally reminded himself to throw more rupees down the next time he commissioned Dento.

Placing the sword in a ring hanging off of his hip, Brivere felt that his attire was complete. He would have been equally satisfied had he just had his father’s choker and his mother’s sword. Even though the metal was cool, he could feel them warm against his body, as if both of his parents were truly there to watch over and accompany him during the ceremony.

“They would have been proud of you.” Sidon said gently.

Link nodded. “There’s no doubt about it.”

Both of them leaned in and place a kiss on either side of his cheek, but quickly pulled apart when Estuu whined and rolled his eyes at them. They all laughed, and Brivere held still to let the three people he loved the most in the world flitter around him and check over his ensemble. When they all nodded in satisfaction, Sidon walked ahead of them and held his arm out, gesturing for them all to head out to the ceremony.

Technically, it didn’t start for another half hour and it only took ten minutes to get to the stone pavilion where it was being held. Thus, the four of them took their time strolling through the palace’s halls, the only sound being the soft clinking of Brivere’s adornments.

Link was the one to break the silence, turning to Brivere. “You still have the resting bitch face, you know.”

“Yes, I do agree.” Sidon chuckled. “As much as I know you hate doing it, please try and at least somewhat smile for our people. After all, it would be quite ironic to intimidate the people you intend to protect.”

Brivere rolled his golden eyes behind his visor and unintentionally made a threatening snarl. Even Estuu cringed, slightly trailing behind his older brother so that he wouldn’t have to look directly at it.

“…Never mind.” Link said, Sidon nodding in agreement. The golden knight relaxed his face and they all sighed with relief.

Eventually, they made it to the pillars that led to the walkway cutting through the pavilion, trailing up to the large entrance of the throne room. Even from this far away, they could see King Dorephan in all of his glory, standing at the end of the pathway as he towered over the council members that stood by his side with their hands behind their backs. It seemed as if every Zora in the Domain was crammed into the sidelines and stands, Under and Upper city Zora alike all clamoring over each other to get a better view.

Sidon turned to Brivere and gave his shoulder a light squeeze, a genuine grin stretching across his face, much different than the fake one he put on display for most people. “I will see you at the end of the walkway, my sun.” he said, patting the golden knight’s shoulder before walking over to his father.

Link smirked at him. “My sun?”

“Hush. He uses such nicknames for you as well.” Brivere said, turning to the Hylian Champion. “Anyways, is there any particular place you have to go to? While you are certainly an honored guest, you are also technically not part of the ceremony, much as I would like you to be.”

Link shrugged. “I dunno. I guess I was going to go up there and get a better view, like Sidon’s speech that one time.” he said, pointing up at a tower in a nearby building. Although the ceremony was starting soon, Brivere had no doubts that the Hylian could easily scale the tower in seconds. “Alright, whatever makes you most comfortable. Just please do not draw too much attention.”

“What, do you want to hog it all?” Link teased. Brivere scoffed and shoved him towards the building, smiling to himself as the Hylian walked away laughing.

The golden Zora could finally focus his attention on his younger brother, who was supposed to follow behind him as his personal knight. “Estuu,” he said softly, “Are you sure that you are alright with this? There is absolutely no shame in backing out.”

His younger brother quickly shook his head, making his tail flop around. Brivere let a small smile slip onto his face, making Estuu smile a bit as well. “Alright. How about this? You can either go with the Hylian Champion or the Knight Captain after you walk with me. If it gets to be too much for you, you can just gesture for them to help you leave. I will not be offended in the slightest if you have to, and I will check up on you once it is over.”

Estuu hesitated, uncertainty flickering in his gold eyes, but he quickly pointed towards Betaal, who was standing at the end of the walkway off to the side. Nodding, Brivere turned back to face the stone pathway, waiting for the signal just like they had rehearsed multiple times beforehand.

And then it came.

The sound of trumpets pierced the air, making everyone in attendance go nearly silent, save for the small waves of whispers that washed over the crowd. Brivere stepped forward, walking down the pathway at a steady pace while Estuu trailed behind him with his head bowed. He noticed the way some Zora flinched when he looked at them, forcing him to remember Link’s words. Inwardly sighing, he let a small smile rest on his lips and saw the crowd around him ease up and even look at him in admiration. Some of them even bowed or kneeled as he passed.

While he was uncomfortable trying to keep that smile on for total strangers the whole walk over, he tuned out the crowd and thought about past memories where other people had genuinely earned the rare gesture.

_Prince Sidon had helped him secure the position of Oracle Knight, and both of them were leaning against each other as they gazed out the window to observe their beloved Domain. He and Estuu were walking back to the palace after his younger brother had won his trials for the position of Holy Knight. His head was in Link’s lap, gazing up at a man he had just kissed for the first time, not quite out of his daze yet as his face buzzed with warmth._

And then he thought of something that had certainly never happened, but he wished it would eventually, and maybe a deep part of him hoped that it was a vision of the future that had unintentionally slipped into his mind.

_He was getting married to Link and Sidon, and then afterwards they were in Prince Sidon’s quarters, sitting together and chatting with Estuu near them, ‘The Cursed Girl’ open in his lap but unread as he watched them with gleaming eyes and a rare smile. This repeated again and again, all of them getting older, but still staying together in a cozy domestic life as they continued their jobs as high ranking officials._

No. Brivere had to tone it down. He was _not_ going to look like an idiot in front of the whole domain. Shaking it off, he tried to suppress the dopey grin that had threatened to take over his face. Years of muscle memory of maintaining an emotionless mask almost failed him, used to suppressing the negative sting that gnawed at his stomach instead of the warmth that suddenly blossomed in his chest.

He made it to the end of the walkway, standing before Prince Sidon with King Dorephan looming over both of them, nearly blocking out the sun. Brivere and Estuu knelt down on one knee before the younger Zora dashed over to Betaal. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw them slowly back away and disappear back into the palace. He made a mental note to thank Betaal later.

King Dorephan warmly smiled down at him. “Brivere,” he said in a low, rumbling voice barely audible to anyone but him and Sidon. “You look just like him. I must have been blind to not have noticed it sooner.”

The golden knight nodded as he let the words sink in. It may have just been the silver adornments covering nearly every inch of his body or the long silk cape, sure, but Brivere felt like something else had made him more similar to his late father. Something not material. He couldn’t put a clawed finger on it. Was it confidence? Contentment? Peace? Happiness?

Whatever it was, it had certainly not been there before. However, now that it was, he was an entirely different person, someone who could be as great as his father once was. Hopefully, with time, and with the support of the people he loved, he could become even greater.

“Zoras of our glorious Domain!” King Dorephan bellowed, startling Brivere out of his thoughts. His wise, soft golden eyes scanned the crowd, lingering over each individual, Under and Upper city Zora alike. “It is with great pride that we swear in Brivere as our Oracle Knight, dedicating his ability to see the future and his fighting talent to protect our crown Prince Sidon and the rest of his people.”

The king then leaned down, his words directed at Brivere. “Brivere, son of Prion.” he said. The golden knight caught onto the way the king’s voice slightly cracked on the name of his dead, beloved friend. “Do you possess the power to see the future, to be gifted visions of what is to come, by the great Goddess Hylia herself?”

Brivere nodded. “Yes, your majesty.”

“Do you swear an oath to use it only for what is right, for what is just, to continue the Knight Captain Prion’s legacy of protecting our great Domain and the people who work to maintain its honor?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Do you promise to continue serving as personal knight to Prince Sidon, sole heir of the Zora Kingdom in our time, protecting him with everything you have until the end of both of your natural lives?”

He glanced up at his lover, who warmly smiled back at him. There was no doubt about it. “Yes, your majesty.”

King Dorephan nodded and straightened up. “Then by the power of the crown, I will pass off the initiation to my beloved son, Prince Sidon.” The prince nodded, stepping forward, casting a shadow over Brivere as he continued to kneel.

“Brivere, son of Prion,” Prince Sidon said proudly. “If you intend to use your mother’s longsword as your main weapon, I would be more than honored to use it to swear you in as my personal knight.”

The golden knight nodded and handed the sword over. When Prince Sidon lightly touched its edge against his brow, the cool metal instead felt like his mother’s soft, encouraging hand. “Brivere, my previous Knight Captain, son of the late First Knight Prion. You have displayed great strength as your time as a warrior.”

The sword then gently shifted to tap his left shoulder. “There is no doubt in the mind of anyone present that you have worked hard and deserve every word of recognition and praise that may come your way. We hope that your efforts will continue to benefit the people of our great Domain.”

Moving the sword to Brivere’s other shoulder, Prince Sidon peered through the slits of the knight’s visor, holding the attention of the golden eyes hidden inside of the silver metal. “With this, I am proud to declare you as my Oracle Knight. May you continue to protect me, and may we work together to bring victory to our great Domain.”

Brivere nodded and knelt lower until his brow touched the floor, then rose up onto his feet. “Yes, my lord.” he said in a steady voice. The two of them looked into each other’s eyes as their right hands reached out to clasp each other’s shoulders, then broke eye contact to bow their heads until they touched slightly.

They lingered for a while, long enough to enjoy each other’s touch but short enough to not appear strange to the thousands of people watching. Slowly, they let go, and Prince Sidon shifted the silver scale longsword until it rested horizontally across both of his hands. He held it out to Brivere, who took it in his left hand with a thankful nod. Prince Sidon grabbed onto his other hand and held it high, both of them turning to face the gaping crowd that was waiting with baited breath.

“May we all welcome the first Oracle Knight in our great Domain’s history, Brivere!” Prince Sidon proudly announced.

The crowd instantly exploded into sounds of cheers and excitement. Thunderous applause nearly drowned out the shouts of congratulations, everyone seemingly ecstatic over his accomplishments. Although the praise was much better than what he usually received, Brivere felt a bit awkward, unsure of how to feel about being cheered on by the same people who used to not give him the time of day.

Eventually, the crowd spread out and the celebrations began. It was much like the Champions Festival with games and activities set up all over the Zora Domain, as well as decorations symbolizing and honoring their new Oracle Knight. Brivere was a bit embarrassed that the king had went so far, but King Dorephan had just laughed and pushed him along, telling him to enjoy it.

And so he did. He kept on the jewelry and armor for appearances sake, going around and thanking people as they ran up to congratulate or thank him in turn. Sidon and Link quickly found him, holding onto his cape so that other Zora wouldn’t trip over it, and also so that it wouldn’t get dirty. The three of them located Estuu and Betaal, who joked that she had only helped the younger Zora out because she didn’t want to hang around and be forced to watch Brivere look like a jackass in front of the entire Zora population. He had laughed, shocking her, and had thanked her for taking care of his little brother before taking him with them.

Brivere then walking around with his two lovers and little brother, enjoying everything the celebrations had to offer. They participated in games such as tail tag and watched Estuu completely annihilate other kids in some of the child competitions. Strangely, more times than he would have ever imagined in his lifetime, several dozen Zora came up to him and openly flirted with the Oracle Knight. He had no idea if it was the fancy jewelry or the high position that appealed to them, but it didn’t matter because the deadly glare from Prince Sidon and the snarl from the Hylian Champion behind him scared any potential suitors off the second they opened their mouths. The longest one to last was a bold nobleman, who even tried to kiss Brivere’s hand before Prince Sidon came up with an excuse and quickly led their small group away.

Eventually, he got tired of the overwhelming attention and number of eyes focused on him, and indicated to his two lovers and younger brother that he would like to retreat and recover. Estuu whined and begged to stay and participate in more of the games, to which Brivere agreed, but only as long as Estuu didn’t hurt any other kids (There were already three that may have broken a bone or five because of the eccentric young Zora). And with that, he and his two lovers escaped back to Prince Sidon’s quarters, ending the day where it had begun.

The three of them sat on his water bed and talked for hours. What their plans were for revealing their polyamorous relationship, what their futures together would be like, practically every worry on their mind ranging from their positions and jobs to the safety of the Domain. And while Brivere could see the future, it wasn’t as if he was omniscient. The visions were hard to focus on a particular thing and they came to him more if there was imminent danger.

But none of them minded. No matter what, they would face anything that came at them. Together.

Eventually, the events of the day and the endless talking took a toll on all three of them, and they found themselves very tired. Sidon got up to look out the window, and Brivere and Link followed him, all of them quietly gazing out to look at the buzzing crowd and celebrations still roaring below.

Sidon looked down at Brivere with his signature grin on his face and gestured to the scene outside then back to the jewelry on his golden body. “Brivere, do you know what all of this makes you?” the prince asked. The Oracle Knight hummed, leaning against Sidon’s arm and rubbing circles on Link’s hand as he held it.

“Happy.” Brivere said simply, eyes half lidded in content.

Surprised, Sidon and Link looked at each other with their mouths slightly hanging open, both soon closing it and stretching into soft smiles. They both looked back at the golden knight fondly and leaned into his touch.

“I was actually going to say 'the Oracle Knight'.” Sidon chuckled into Brivere’s head fin.

Link laughed. “But hey, happy works too.”

The three of them quietly continued to stand there, watching the celebration below, yet none of them truly paying attention to any of it as the sun began to set and the stars began to take over the sky in its place.

Brivere didn’t even want to use his powers in that moment, simply wanting to get lost in the present, wanting the future to come to him first, to be unexpected, to be a surprise, so that he could fully enjoy it with the few people he loved more than anything else in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for stickin with me throughout this whole thing! I'd love to know what you think now that it's over!
> 
> Ok so technically this is the end of the series, but there's like 7 bonus chapters coming up. They are just concepts and headcanons that i love but didnt fit in. And one particular one is more like a mini series, that is a continuation of this, currently at 6 chapters.
> 
> Basically, i am trash.

**Author's Note:**

> O shit Linky Dinky is takin it on felllaaaaasssss  
> He's gonna disappear for a bit for a couple chapters  
> Tell me what you guys thought about this, I love talking to other people lmao  
> Also sorry about all the weird indentation, I have no idea why it does that


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